TCC Book III: First Kisses?
by The Universal Storyteller
Summary: Book 3 of at least 7, if not more, in this particular series, and its story series is set primarily during the Moon Kingdom's Silver Millennium. Please read, review, and enjoy! Now Complete! 7/26 Chapters Now Edited & Revised!
1. Chapter One

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the third story in this particular story series of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

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_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Moonbeam Garden In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 15, 986

Serena Moon was in the Moonbeam Garden with her sisters Destiny and Bethany, about two hours past local midday. She was reading stories to them both there from scrolls currently in her possession. She was reading them both aloud and by using sign language. For Destiny was blind, and Bethany was deaf. All three of them were Princesses in the Moon Kingdom of the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system. Serena was the only one of the three to be both hearing and sighted. Serena was now within two months of reaching the middle of the eleventh year of her mortal life, at most. For she'd been born on June 30, 976, in Moon City, the Moon Kingdom's capital on Earth's Moon. As a matter of fact, she'd even been born on the Crystal Palace's grounds. Unlike Destiny and Bethany, who'd both been born on the grounds of another nearby Moon City-area palace of the Moon Kingdom's, which was the Imperial Palace, not too far away from the Crystal Palace.

Serena was the Moon Kingdom's Moon Princess. Which meant that she was her mother's chosen successor, as of the current time, to possibly rule the Moon Kingdom after her. Or any successor governments that might follow it in the future, given enough of the right circumstances to make either or both of those things happen in the Moon Kingdom, for that matter. Her mother, who was also Destiny and Bethany's mother, was the Moon Kingdom's current Queen. And her name was Queen Serenity. Her father, however, wasn't a King. He was a Prince, and his name was Daniel. Serena was almost three years older than both Destiny and Bethany. For her sisters were both twins, with Destiny being about an hour older than Bethany was, most likely.

Serena and her sisters were not the only Princesses in the Moon Kingdom. For there were several other Princesses from most, if not all, of the rest of the worlds that were now part of the Moon Kingdom. Besides them, various other Princesses in the Moon Kingdom came from the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. But not from Earth. For there were no Moon Kingdom Princesses that currently represented the Earth in the Moon Kingdom, simply because Earth was not a world in the Moon Kingdom. And it likely wouldn't ever be.

Even though that was the case, at least at the current time, Serena did have at least one or two friends, if not more, that were from the Earth. This was because they'd often come to the Moon to visit with their various friends from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. And so did at least a few other people she knew well enough in her own life. Including both of her twin sisters, for they also knew at least one or two people from Earth in their own lives.

As of the current time in her life, Moon Princess Serena had at least five to ten other Princesses currently in her royal Court, if not more than that in it. Among those various Princesses were both of her twin sisters, who'd joined it at least on a temporary basis, if not on a permanent basis, some time before, when other members of her royal Court had been sent by Queen Serenity on a mission to another Milky Way Galaxy-located solar system. And ever since, she'd had them in her very own royal Court.

As of the current time, there were more than the usual number of planets and moons in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system. This was the case just because while Serena and many other people in her life had been away from the Moon unexpectedly, seven other planets had shown up rather unexpectedly there with orbits that were all outside the orbit of Pluto in it. These planets had all showed up after they'd emerged from some sort of cosmic phenomenon that'd at least once been described as a possible dimensional rift by at least one of the people Serena now knew in her life. And it wasn't yet known if and when those planets would disappear into that rift or a similar one at some later time. For it hadn't been very long since they'd come from it shortly before they were discovered by people aboard at least one ship that was returning to the Moon some time before.

As she was reading to both of her sisters in that garden, a few other members of her royal Court and her mother eventually joined her and her sisters in it. Those other members of her own royal Court who then joined her there were four other Princesses from just as many other worlds elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom. Those four other Princesses were the Princesses Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita, who were from Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, respectively.

Serena soon looked up from her scroll, once she heard her mother's voice as she was coming toward her daughters, and as she was talking to Amy, Raye, Mina, and Lita. And she said, "Hello, everyone. I've just been reading to both Destiny and Bethany for a while."

Queen Serenity, a woman who was now in her early to middle forties, and who was still rather attractive, then said, "That's good, Serena. But I think that you girls need to get back to training for a while. For it's been at least a week or two since you all last trained with each other."

"Mom, do we have to?" asked Serena, a young girl with long blonde hair that was often worn down in ponytails.

"Yes, Serena, I'm afraid so. Yes, it's been at least a week or two since Darien left us again. But if we're ever going to have enough of a chance against our new enemy, we're all going to have to train very often. Even if we don't actually beat them, at least not at first."

Darien was a Prince from the Earth nation of Japan. And he was a very close friend of several people from the Moon Kingdom. Especially those who actually were running it, or who actually had very high ranks in it. He, as well as several other people, had unexpectedly found themselves on a world in another galaxy in the known Universe. And while he and they had been on that world, he and they had eventually found themselves fighting numerous beings from another part of the Universe. It was a part of the Universe that could possibly be best described as another dimension in it, and which was called "The Negaverse," from what he and they somehow had already learned of it in the past.

Serena had been among those various people that'd also rather unexpectedly found themselves on that world. And so had many other people that she'd known then, and at least two others that she'd never met before she'd actually ended up there. Including several members of her Court and her mother. Besides them and her mother, two cats that belonged to her mother had ended up on that world as well.

While she and they had all still been on that world, they'd all met at least a few, if not a lot of, natives of that very same world. At least one of which had soon enough became really good friends with them. Serena and at least a few others with her at such a time eventually helped that person or those persons to eventually topple a certain throne-usurper's dictatorial regime of sorts. After doing so, they were eventually brought back to wherever they'd each come from some time before rather unexpectedly. Whether or not they'd actually come from anywhere on the Moon or from anywhere on Earth, they eventually returned to the very same worlds from which they'd earlier disappeared rather unexpectedly.

Serena and most of those other people that'd been whisked away from other places in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol system had secretly been Sailor Scouts in the Moon Kingdom. Those various people had included her mother and sisters, as well as a good portion of her own royal Court, if not all of it. But at least three of those people were not from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. That minimum of three people consisted of two males and one female, with all of them being from Earth. One of those males was Prince Darien of Japan, who Serena was very fond of in her life. The other male was Prince Rolando of Scotland on Earth. While the one Earth female was Princess Sylvia of Israel on Earth. As Serena and others then with her had eventually learned while they'd all been on their last adventure to another world elsewhere in the known Universe.

Princess Sylvia had eventually become a Sailor Scout, just like most, if not all, of the other current members of Serena's royal Court, as well as Serena and her mother Serenity. But she'd not been one when she first met up with Serena and a number of her friends and relatives during that adventure. For before that happened, she'd never met up with any people who weren't actually from Earth in her life, at least not knowingly, both for her and for them.

Sylvia had first encountered Darien many years before, when she'd visited his nation on Earth at least once before. But she'd never actually met Rolando of Scotland before. Just as she'd not actually met anyone from the Moon Kingdom before knowingly, both on their parts and on hers. Sylvia and Serena soon became close friends of each other before Sylvia eventually had to return to Earth again. And they'd last parted from each other in the last month, with them both not actually wanting to do so, because of that very fact. Their quite-reluctant partings from each other, of course, were very emotional because of it.

That was the case for them both because both Serena and Sylvia didn't usually like parting from people they'd begun to care for very much. Especially Serena, who really hated it whenever Darien had to return to Earth, for any reason whatsoever, in his life. That was mainly because she was especially fond of him. And she often dreamed and hoped that she'd ever be able to marry him someday in the future, of course, due to that very fact.

Even though he was nearly fifteen years older than she was, she still was very fond of him. So much so, that Serena would often call him her "Honey." Much to the frequent dismay of Raye, at least, who also really liked him a lot in her own life. And both girls would often be trying to spend every possible minute they could spend with him whenever he was on the Moon, because they really liked him so much in their lives.

"How soon do you want us to do that, Mother?"

Serenity said, "If you haven't yet had your lunches, then I want you to be ready to train within one hour from now. If you have, then tell me when you three had your lunches, Serena."

"Twenty or so minutes ago, we finished our lunches, I think."

"Then I expect you all to be ready to resume training in about thirty to forty minutes, once I leave you here again. Is that clear, Serena?"

"When we report, how do you want us to report?"

"As usual, of course, Serena."

"All right, where do you want us to be when we report?"

"I want you all to be in the Sailor Scout Garden when you report. I think you need to spend some time at the Rainbow Springs Palace again, Serena. Yes, I know that was where you girls had at least a little trouble there some time ago. But I want you girls there again for a while. You'll all be going with me and several other Scouts to that place. After which I'll be leaving you there with them for a while. This will be so that you can all train in conditions much like the ones that you'll most likely be facing in the future, if our visions and/or dreams about it are sufficiently accurate in their nature about such things."

"This won't be a vacation trip to the other side of the Moon, Mother?"

"No, I'm afraid not, Serena. You'll all have to train quite often in the future from now on. As of tonight, I'm now starting to cut back on the number of balls that'll be held on the Moon. That's so we can hopefully buy our Moon Kingdom at least a little more time to try to defend ourselves sufficiently well before the Negaverse comes here to the Moon. Of course, if I do that for the balls in question, I'll also do that for the fireworks shows that have been accompanying them for so many years, before too much longer. That's if I don't actually start cancelling them entirely, Serena. You may not like it. But those things will have to be done, of course. And you know it just as well as I do. So do the rest of the Princesses, even your sisters."

"I'm going to be away from Moon City when Darien comes back here next time?" asked Serena.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I can't help it. But until further notice, you and several other Princesses will be on the other side of the Moon."

"Can you see that Sylvia gets here to the Moon, then, Mother?"

"I can't make any promises, Serena. But I'll see what I can do, just the same. For I think of her quite a bit as well."

"Thank you, Mom."

Then Serenity said, "Raye, see that Serena and the twins get to the Sailor Scout Garden in time, please, if possible. I can't afford any unnecessary delays in our schedule at the current time."

Raye then said, "Understood. I'll do that, Queen Serenity."

"Good, Raye. Serena, I'm not kidding here. I want you there, if possible, at the necessary time. If you're not there at that time, there'll probably have to be the inevitable consequences, of course. So be there, please."

"All right, Mother. I'll be there. I don't really want Raye to get too mad at me again, like she often does. So I'll be there as soon as I can be, if at all possible."

At that, Serenity nodded at Serena, just before she left her alone again with the rest of her royal Court's now-present members in the Moonbeam Garden. Serena watched her go, and she asked, "Would somebody please tell me why we're suddenly going to have to go back to the other side of the Moon, really? Is it really necessary for all of us to do that, when we can all possibly train here just as well?"

Raye said, "Serena, we're going back because we need to train away from any location that the Negaverse might be able to spy on us from a very long distance away. And your mother fears that they may try to slip a spy or two into our Moon Kingdom, if they haven't already done so, so that they can learn more about us than they likely already know about us. She feels that if we're on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon, they may not be able to find us as easily as they might be able to if we were still on this side of the Moon. Listen, I don't really like it any more than you do. For I really like being on this side of the Moon very much. But if our new enemy's trying to learn as much about us as it can, then I think it doesn't make much sense for us to be where they might be able to learn more about us than if we weren't in such a place. Even if it means we have to miss Darien, we have to go to the other side of the Moon. Believe me, I want to be with him too. But if our enemies are mad at us, then I think that it really doesn't make much sense for any or all of us to be where they might be able to find us."

"I suppose you're right. But why now, of all times, girls?"

Amy said, "Because she's just learned from a message canister sent from Darien a few days ago that a strange ship was recently seen just outside the orbit of Pluto, and inside the orbit of Ninby. And he couldn't recognize who it might have belonged to. So your mother decided that we needed to go away, just in case it was what we've been fearing for so many years. Also Darien told her about at least one conversation he'd had with Sylvia before we met up with Rolando, Sylvia, and him back on Ozotov IV, during our last adventure. It seems at least a few dock-workers in the area of Osaka, Japan, were rather loose-tongued about the joint project that his Nipponese Empire and our Moon Kingdom are currently working on together. They were talking more than they should about 'Operation Cocoon.' Which, of course, you know we call 'Operation Survival,' Serena. And Darien let your mother know that just a little while ago. He told them a lot of other things too, as well. But nothing that really concerns you much. Except that he wishes he could see you again the next time he comes to the Moon. I don't know if that'll be possible now. For we're all going to have to go to the other side of the Moon for a while."

"So our joint project's secrecy is likely quite compromised?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that it might very well be. And so are both your parents and Darien," said Amy.

"So what do we do now, if that is the case, girls?"

"We hide out for a while, until we know for sure. Yes, Serena, I know you might not like it. But that's what your mother wants us to do," said Lita, a few seconds later.

"Will we be able to take many of our things with us?"

Mina said, "Not likely. Your mother told us that we'll only be able to bring the most essential items with us when we go to the Rainbow Springs Palace again. If needed, though, and if possible, there'll still be periodical resupply flights to us on the other side of the Moon from this side of the Moon. But don't be all that surprised if that doesn't actually turn out to be the case, Serena."

Princesses Destiny and Bethany had been either watching or listening to the current conversation between Serena and her fellow Princesses, with Serena translating for both of them when necessary, of course. Then Destiny asked, "Do you think there'll be any reasonably cute guys that we can actually see there on the other side of the Moon, while we're there, Raye?"

"Not likely, Destiny," said Raye. "That won't likely be possible, I believe. Because I really don't think that there are any male Scouts anywhere on the Moon, if there are even any male Scouts in our own Moon Kingdom. Or if there are any cute guys on the other side of the Moon that we can see there, I don't think that they'll actually be Scouts. Of course, Destiny, I could be wrong. But I don't think that I am." Of course, Raye also translated this for Bethany's benefit.

When she did so, Bethany signed, "Aren't we a little too young to be chasing most guys in our lives?" She said this, just before Amy spoke the words that she'd just signed for Destiny's benefit, of course.

Serena soon said, both aloud and through sign language, "I don't think that we older girls are, Bethany. Hannah's sister Jacqueline, who's often referred to as 'Jackie', has already started chasing any number of guys that she thinks are at least a bit cute. So who's to say that we're too young to chase boys, Bethany? I've been chasing Darien ever since I first met him, I think, Bethany. And I really don't think I'll ever stop doing so. Or at least not until I finally marry him, if I ever stop doing so."

"Are you Jackie Tompkins, Serena? Or are you Poruzuka Gallenski? And if you're either of those girls, you certainly can't be Deborah Meyers or Ariel Herschel. Unless I'm mistaken, you're Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon, and not any of those other four girls. So what's the big deal about chasing other guys so early in your life?" asked Bethany.

"No, I'm not any of those other four girls, Bethany. It's just that I don't really like having to wait to grow up and get married to some guy who I care for very much in my life."

"Serena, listen to me, or at least pay attention to what I'm trying to tell you with my signing. I think you'll have enough time in the future to chase Darien and possibly get married to him in it. It's just that right now, Mom may feel that it's not all that safe for you and other Princesses from our dear Moon Kingdom to just forget about doing what may need to be done to help it, and chase any number of boys in it. Yes, I know you really care for Darien. Just as do most, if not all, of the rest of us Princesses here as well. And that you may indeed want to be with him if anything bad happens to us. But such a time hasn't yet come to us here on the Moon, if it ever will. And if all goes sufficiently according to plan for us all for at least the time being, it won't for at least a little while. Granted, you may be right when you say that we may not survive such an invasion of the Moon Kingdom by the Negaverse. But there's no logical sense in courting danger from them any more than absolutely necessary, if we don't have to, and if we can possibly avoid it for at least a while. I know the future might scare you. But if God sees fit to let them come here, and for Destiny and I to be called home to Him forever, then so be it. Same thing for any other friends or relatives that we may know in any of our own mortal lives, Serena. I know I may die, of course, if they come here. And Destiny knows that she might too. But if that's the case, then so be it. You've said at least one time before that you yourself will most likely be killed quite near Darien by the evil leader of the Negaverse, whoever that leader might be. If so, Mom may indeed try to save as many people she can from those of us, whether good or bad, who are either on the Moon, or close enough to it. If we're among those people she saves, then so be it. But if not, then I hope that we'll end up in Heaven forever."

Raye commented, "Girls, we have about twenty or so minutes before we have to be in the Sailor Scout Garden again. I suggest that we all get ready to go there. And from there, to the other side of the Moon, in the necessary manners. Amy, Lita, and Mina, go find Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan. Please remind them that they'll need to be there at the necessary time. I'll be accompanying Serena and her sisters to each of their respective chambers so that they can get what they'll likely need to bring with them to the other side of the Moon. Then, after I do that, I'll be escorting them to that garden, so that we can all meet you there by the required time. If you see Luna and Artemis while you're going to find the necessary Outer Scouts, please tell them that they need to be in that same garden as well when we finally leave. For they'll also have to go with us, of course, Amy."

"Where's all the stuff you'll need to bring there, Raye?" asked Mina.

"It's already there, or it's somewhere near there. For I had this rather strange feeling not long after we got back from our time on Ozotov IV that we'd have to eventually go back to the other side of the Moon, Mina. I can't exactly say how come I had that feeling. But I can say that I had it a while ago, after we all got back here to the Moon."

So Amy, Lita, and Mina actually left Raye alone with Serena, Destiny, and Bethany moments later, of course, to do all the things that Raye had just told or asked them to do. Raye either told, or asked, them to do those things. For she had a feeling that Serena wouldn't tell or ask them to do those things. And because she was often rather outspoken in her life, as had often been proved to others she knew well enough in her life. Most likely, that was most often evident when she was anywhere sufficiently near Serena in it.

Then, after Princesses Amy, Lita, and Mina had left her alone with Serena and her twin sisters, Raye then said, "Serena, we'd better get going, if you don't want to get in serious trouble with your mother."

"I know, I know, Raye. We all have to get ready to leave this quite wonderful place here in Moon City again. And resume our training as Junior Sailor Scouts. All so that we can hopefully delay at least a little while our new enemy's possible invasion of our dear Moon Kingdom. I really wish we didn't have to do so, Raye."

"So do I. But it doesn't make any logical sense for any of us to deny what now appears to be a very dangerous reality for us, or a potentially dangerous reality for us, in our own mortal lives. It won't help any of us if somebody I know decides to be an 'MBH,' I think, Serena." Often Serena was called a "Meatball Head" by other people in her life, most often by Raye. And that was at least occasionally shortened to just the letters "MBH" by them. But she was never called a "Meatball Head" or an "MBH" by her parents. For they didn't call her names like that. Even when she was misbehaving around them or others in her life, and they knew that she was doing so, or that she'd done so when she wasn't with them. However, if she misbehaved, they'd, of course, eventually punish her, as they saw fit, at such times, just as soon as they could do so in private.

"So what if I want to be an 'MBH,' Raye? I just want to be a kid for as long as I can. And also have Darien for my own, too, if possible. What's wrong with that?"

"Will being an 'MBH' likely help us protect our Moon Kingdom, Serena?"

"Maybe not, Raye. But I don't want to fight, if I don't have to."

"Neither do the rest of us, Serena. But we'll have to do so, whether we like it or not, for as long as we possibly can, if not forever. We're all most likely going to fall asleep eventually. But let's all not do it before the proper times for each of us to ever do so come our way, if we can possibly avoid it. That way, maybe we can all buy our Moon Kingdom at least a bit more time. Even if it's ultimately doomed to fall someday in the future. We may not ever be able to actually save the Moon Kingdom. But at least we can all try our best to protect it for as long as we possibly can all do so."

Then Raye made sure that Serena and her sisters each got everything that they'd need to bring with them to the other side of the Moon, if they'd not already done so. That done, she soon escorted them all to the Sailor Scout Garden, while she made sure that Serena and her sisters all reported there in their respective Scout states. And she did so even while she made sure that she also did the same with her own Scout state, as of the current time, in each of their own mortal lives in God's very own Universe. That done, Mars awaited the eventual arrival of all the other Princesses who weren't yet there ahead of her and her current companions there. She and Queen Serenity's three daughters were the first of the Princesses to arrive there for their upcoming trip to the other side of the Moon. They waited another two or so minutes after getting there, before Mercury eventually appeared there leading Saturn Beta, Neptune Beta, and several other Princesses into the garden. By the time that Mercury's current companions had all arrived in it well enough, Mars had asked Mercury, "How soon will Queen Serenity be here?"

"She'll be here momentarily. She's just making sure that all the necessary things and people on the other side of the Moon are ready for our arrival there, before we go there, Mars. When she's sure that they are, then she'll be here to meet us. We're supposed to make sure that we each have all the required items that we're supposed to bring with us to there, in the meantime."

"Are Luna and Artemis with her at the moment?"

"Yes. So are Princes Daniel and Raphael. She's also saying her farewells to them both, just in case she can't return to this side of the Moon when she's planning to do so, after we all get there ourselves. She's already sent a message canister to Sylvia. We'll have to wait to see if she'll be able to come to the other side of the Moon after all. We won't know for at least a few days if she'll be able to get back here soon enough, I think, though, Mars. That's if she even gets Queen Serenity's message canister to her somehow before anyone else does in her part of Earth, of course."

"Understood, Mercury." So all the Princesses now present in that Crystal Palace garden did as Mercury had just said that Queen Serenity wanted them to do while she still wasn't in that garden there. Of course, all of them were in their respective Scout states as Junior Sailor Scouts in the Moon Kingdom. Even Serena, who was Junior Sailor Moon, as a matter of fact.

Besides Serena, who was actually Junior Sailor Moon, other Princesses now in the garden who were also somewhat secretly Junior Sailors were Amy, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, Raye, Lita, Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan. Those other ten Princesses here were Junior Sailors Mercury, Venus, Corona, Eclipse, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Beta, Uranus Beta, Neptune Beta, and Pluto Beta, respectively. At least a few, if not even more than just a few, other Junior Sailors would be meeting them when they actually all got back to the other side of the Moon. Those other Junior Sailors were most likely, if not most definitely, either sisters or female cousins to the specific Junior Sailors they'd eventually be meeting there, when Queen Serenity brought them there some time later.

But that still wouldn't happen at least until Serenity brought them there, of course. In the meantime, those Junior Sailors would await the arrival of Serena, her mother, and other members of Serena's own royal Court, while they were in each of their respective Scout states, if they even had any. Luna and Artemis, however, weren't Scouts. But they were still very close to Serena and a number of other people in her life, of course.

Eventually Queen Serenity did show in the necessary Crystal Palace garden. She came there as Sentinel Serenity, which meant that she was currently in her second-power Scout state, as she did so. And when she did, she also came there with Prince Daniel. For he'd quite naturally indeed want to wish his daughters well while they were all on the other side of the Moon, of course. He briefly conversed with all three of his daughters, before Serenity reminded him that he couldn't go with them to the other side of the Moon. After which, he said his goodbyes to his three daughters, not yet knowing if and when he'd ever see them again in his own mortal life.

All three of his daughters said their goodbyes to him as well, of course. Sentinel Serenity soon asked him to leave the garden again, and make sure that nobody else would then enter it at all for at least a few hours. So Daniel did so, already knowing why. For he'd done it at least one time before in his life, mainly whenever his wife Serenity was traveling to the other side of the Moon from the Crystal Palace's Sailor Scout Garden, whether she was alone when she did so or she was with any other people at such times.

After he'd left everyone else alone in the garden, Sentinel Serenity went to a nearby pillar in it. Of course, it was the exact same one that she'd gone to shortly after Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany had each become Scouts on Serena's tenth birthday. She did this as she had all her current companions follow her to it. Then she had them all surround her with their backs to her, while she temporarily lifted the top off that pillar, so that she could access the necessary console under it. She accessed that console, and input certain currently-required codes into that console, before she put the pillar's top back where she'd taken it from. That done, she allowed all her current companions to face her again, before leading them to a large boulder elsewhere in the garden. Of course, it was the same one that she'd first taken seven Junior Sailors to some time before. As she'd done at that time, she had Jupiter help her move that boulder to one side, so that she and all of her current companions could access the tunnel behind that boulder.

After the boulder was moved to one side as was then required, Serenity led all her current companions into the necessary tunnel, as she'd done at least once before, if not even more often than that. Of course, she provided all her fellow Scouts here with torches now. When she and all her current companions were far enough into that tunnel, she palmed the necessary brick on a nearby wall. And she then did that so the boulder she and Lita had earlier moved to one certain side of that tunnel's opening, somewhere in the Sailor Scout Garden, would slide back into its proper position there.

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I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first chapter of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The second chapter of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	2. Chapter Two

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

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_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

An Underground Cavern Below The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 15, 986 - November 16, 986

Moments later, they were all in an underground cavern. They soon came to a depression elsewhere in it, after Sentinel Serenity had made sufficiently sure that all her companions weren't having too much trouble passing through the cavern to it. This certain depression was in the middle of the part of that cavern that they were now in, by the time that they all got there.

She soon had all her non-feline companions place all their things on certain tiles in that depression. These tiles all had certain symbols on them related to each Moon Kingdom-held planet or world that her companions were from, at least. If not from elsewhere in the Sol solar system of the Universe's Milky Way Galaxy instead. However, Corona and Eclipse placed their things on two other tiles in that depression, as they'd each done at least one time before. They did this as Serenity had the Beta-level Scouts from Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto each basically do the same thing with their things as well, of course. Which meant, then, that the now-present Outer Scouts each put their various things on the appropriate tiles for themselves here, quite obviously enough. After everyone had most definitely put all their things on each of the necessary tiles in that depression, Serenity then had her cats and Serena join her on the tile for the Moon. She did this just before she had the rest of her companions stand on the appropriate tiles for themselves, in fact. Moments later, then she said, "Moon Star Web Power." And she was connected quite securely by several ropes to all her current Scout companions, not too long after saying that well enough here.

Then she began the necessary teleportation process that'd bring her current traveling party to the other side of the Moon, once all the required teleportation phrases were said by all the necessary Scouts here, of course. After she did so, a six-step teleportation process began, which soon brought them to the Rainbow Springs Palace. No more than about five or so minutes after it finally deposited them all there, she and all her companions got their respective bearings in it well enough. When they all did so well enough to satisfy themselves enough with how they'd done so, Serenity made a sound like that of a Terran chickadee.

An answering call like that of a Terran rooster soon echoed in the darkness of that place. And it did so just a few seconds, at the most, before Serenity and all her companions then heard a single voice in that very darkness. This voice soon said, "Hello, everyone. Please shade your eyes, or close them. For we'll be lighting up this place a bit more brightly than you may yet be ready for here." When they'd all heard that well enough here, Sentinel Serenity then deactivated her Moon Star Web Power. She did so just because she'd not likely need to use it for at least a little while longer with her Scouts here, in fact.

So everyone did so, as the owner of that voice began coming out of that darkness with a torch in her hand. They didn't see her until she'd lit several torches in nearby sconces on the walls of the room that she was now in with them and several other people. All of which were Scouts, of course. It turned out that the owner of that voice had been Neptune Alpha. Which meant that Poruzuka had just spoken to them there.

Neptune Alpha lit several torches on the nearby walls. As she did so, Uranus Alpha, Pluto Alpha, and Saturn Alpha did so as well. Eventually it was sufficiently bright in the room. After which Neptune Alpha then said, "Sentinel Serenity, I see that you've brought several other Scouts and your cats with you this time."

"Yes. I'm hoping that we'll be able to see Skyhorse here in the very near future. But until she shows here, Neptune Alpha, if she even does, at least while you're all together here, one member of your team of Scouts is to remain inactive at a time. At least in terms of actually competing in training against these Scouts that I just came here with, that is, so that both teams will have the same exact number of Scouts competing against each other in your various training sessions. Moon will be leading one of the teams here. And you'll be leading the other, Neptune Alpha. You'll then be practicing and training with each other here, even as you still compete against each other here. You'll have to pretend that the other team of Scouts here is actually from the Negaverse, at least to some degree, whenever you're training together with each other. And they'll have to do the same for your own team of Scouts, for that matter. You'll all not be able to use lethal or near-lethal force against each other here, for all the obvious reasons. I'll have to dampen all your attacks to a certain degree, so that we don't have to worry about any of you girls unnecessarily hurting each other somehow, if it can possibly be avoided at all. At least when it comes to you actually using them against each other. However, just in case any trouble shows up here, I'll also make it possible for the dampening of your respective attacks to be suspended for as long as it takes to take care of that trouble, if necessary, Neptune Alpha. Like if any Negaversers somehow manage to show up here and cause any trouble at all for any or all of you girls, for instance."

"How will you do that?"

"Come with me, once I account for all of my Scouts who are now in this palace, Neptune Alpha."

Serenity told all the members of Neptune Alpha's team of Scouts who weren't yet visible in the room to show themselves. After they did so, that allowed her and all the other Scouts who'd come to the other side of the Moon with Luna and Artemis to see those Scouts as well. Which meant, of course, that the Beta-level Scouts from the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter showed up there. As did the Gamma-level Scouts from the planets of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, before too much more time passed in that very room of the Rainbow Springs Palace on the other side of the Moon.

She talked briefly with each of those other eight Scouts, before she led all 23 of her Scouts who were now with her to another area of the Rainbow Springs Palace that she'd never brought them to before. For she'd never had any reason yet to do so. Even during the first visit of Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Corona, and Eclipse to the RSP quite some length of time before. Of course, Luna and Artemis tagged along with them to it, for all the obvious reasons.

As Serenity eventually led all her current companions to that room, she began catching up as much as possible with all the Scouts that'd met her and her other companions a while before. And she let all of the Scouts that'd just come with her and her cats to the Rainbow Springs Palace do the same. Not to mention, of course, the fact that she also let Artemis and Luna do that too.

Eventually, then, Serenity brought them all to that room. And she brought them to certain crystals embedded in a large round blue marble table in the center of that room. She soon had all her Scouts take up positions around that table in front of crystals that exactly matched their respective crystals as Sailor Scouts. Then she had them all place their right hands on those crystals, as she said, "These crystals match each of your crystals exactly. You're all to place each of your right hands on the crystal that matches your crystal exactly, as you each say your current Scout identity. Scouts, these crystals will dampen each of your respective powers anywhere between ten to thirty percent, wherever appropriate for each of you. But in any case, you'll all have to deal with a minimum dampening of your respective powers of ten percent. And they'll not be dampened more than thirty percent of them all, in any case, for any of you. That's so that when you compete against each other in your various training sessions, the grounds between both teams is as even as it possibly be, of course. If, however, you all need to be able to access your full powers, you can come here as needed to access the parts of your powers that'll be dampened when you say your current identities as Scouts with your right hands on those crystals. They'll hold at least a little bit of the parts of your powers in them until such time as you might need them, if that turns out to be the case while you're all still here."

She had all her Scouts say their respective current identities as Scouts in turn, when the need arose. And as they did so, several lines began glowing briefly, until they led to the exact center of the table now in question. As they did so, a large crystal that they'd not yet seen in the table began emerging from the exact center of the table, in which it had been hidden, under a sliding door of some sort. It began emerging from that area of the table when the sliding door slid to one side of the required opening in the middle of the table. The large crystal rose until it was halfway out of the table. Then it stopped rising. When it did, it began shining more and more brightly as power from each of the required Scouts flowed into it. It'd hold all that power from the Scouts they'd sent to it indirectly, at least until they needed it. It'd hold half the power that all Serenity's Scouts had just contributed to the table and all the crystals that they'd just touched. The other half of that amount of power from those Scouts would still remain in the crystals that they themselves had touched. If and when Sylvia ever showed up in the RSP on the other side of the Moon, she'd also have to touch one of those crystals in the table, and contribute part of her power to the table and the large crystal, of course.

Sentinel Serenity checked quite thoroughly, at the very least, in order to see that everything had taken place exactly as it should've just taken place, if possible. And she soon said, "The required power transfer is now quite successfully completed here. This table and the applicable crystals in it will now hold all your power that you just contributed to it, everyone. And it may even provide you with more power later on than it took from you just now. For it's been known to generate power in the past. And I've also benefited at least once because of that. I think that you may be all rather surprised with how much power it may, and often does, generate. If that's also actually the case for any, or each, of you before any, or each, of you access all your powers to their full capabilities at least once more in each of your own mortal lives, of course, in fact."

Moon asked, "Mother, do you know how it does so, whenever it does so, exactly?"

"No, Moon, I don't. But I do know that it has been known to do so, and that I've benefited from it doing so in the past at least once, if not more than that. I wish I knew, of course, how it actually does so. But I guess that it's not time for me to know how it does so here. At least not right now, anyway, in my own mortal life. Maybe before the end of our Silver Millennium, I will know. But at the current time, at least, I don't."

Serenity talked with all her current companions for at least a little while longer, before she eventually said, "Scouts, I'll have to go back to the Moon's Moon City side before too much more time passes for us all in our lives. And I'd honestly like to know if there's anything you all might really somehow want here with you that likely isn't already on this side of the Moon. Besides a visit with at least one certain Terran Prince and at least one certain Terran Princess. For I have a rather strong feeling that Moon's actually going to ask for Darien to be coming here with or without Sylvia, if I don't keep her from asking me to have them coming over here, of course, everyone."

"Mother, you know me too well, it seems."

"But of course, Moon. I'm the Moon Kingdom's Queen, and I'm your mother. I know you rather well, if not totally well, Moon. And I think I always will, for at least as long as we're all still here on the Moon, if not also elsewhere in the Moon Kingdom, of course. I'll most likely not go with you in the future to Earth, if I have to send you there. Or at least not in a physical form, anyway. But I'll still be part of you, and you'll still be a part of me. Even if you have other parents there, in the future. It may actually happen to break my heart very much to have to send as many, if not all, of you as I can to Earth to live in the future. But if that ever becomes necessary, I'll do whatever I can to make sure that you all survive, or at least as many of you as I can save. Even if it means I have to sacrifice our dear Moon Kingdom, I'll do it. For I'd rather see you all safe, if possible, than to rule the Moon Kingdom any longer without you girls safe and sound near me, if I didn't do so."

"You'd give up the Moon Kingdom for us, Mother?"

"Yes, I would, Moon. In a heartbeat, I would, if I could. Even if it also somehow meant my death, I'd do it. For nothing at all, and nobody at all, in my entire mortal life anywhere here in God's very own Universe, is as important to me as those people I really love very much in it. Other than God, of course. I'd even die to protect you all, or to protect as many of you as I could, Moon, if I absolutely had to. You're all so very important to me, and I can't imagine living without any of you, if I don't really have to. I especially don't want Serena and the rest of her royal Court to miss out on the chance to live a long life, if it can possibly be avoided. I've had my time, or at least I think I'll have had my time, by the end of the Silver Millennium, to do that. But for all of you girls, who aren't yet out of your teenage years, you haven't. I want each of you girls to be able to possibly get married someday, if you girls ever want to get married someday. And I want each of you to have the chance to become mothers after each of you do that. Especially my daughters, obviously enough. I may not actually be around when Darien and Serena get married, if they ever do. And I may not actually be around when they have Rini. But I hope to be around at least long enough to ensure the future of as many of the people from our Moon Kingdom as I possibly can. Yes, I know that by doing so, I may also do the same for many of our enemies from the Negaverse. But that is a chance that I'll most likely just have to take, if I actually do want to save as many of you as I possibly can from the Moon Kingdom."

"Rini who?" asked Moon.

"Rini Shields, of course, Moon. Don't you remember at all when you yourself actually wrote on several scrolls during your own rather prolonged christening ceremony?"

Moon thought back to then for at least a few seconds, if not at least a minute, and then said, for those that didn't yet know the whole story about her own christening ceremony, "I wrote on six scrolls during it, if I remember correctly enough here. And a very certain pink-haired girl was on one of them, come to think of it, if I'm not too mistaken here. I often tossed or pushed them off a table then. Of course, I later got spanked at least once or twice, if not more than that, for my acting up during my very own christening ceremony there, girls. And, come to think of it as well, I actually did deserve my later spankings for such behavior then. I could have acted much better then, but I didn't."

Neptune Alpha asked Moon, "And this pink-haired girl was Rini?"

"Yes, Neptune Alpha. Rini Shields was her name, and we were in a picture of Crystal Tokyo on the scroll in question then. I was with four other Scouts, Rini, and Darien in that picture. And it was a picture that I actually labeled as being of a scene in the 30th Century."

"And we're all in the 10th Century now?" asked Junior Sailor Venus. Meaning Mina, of course.

"Yes, I believe so, Mina."

"How is that going to be possible?" asked Venus Beta, who was also Mina's sister Aurora.

"It seems that many, if not all, of us, could very well be in globes or other kinds of containers, at least twice in our lives, Venus Beta. That's if we somehow actually make it to Earth sometime after the rather likely end of our Moon Kingdom. That's supposing, of course, that the Negaverse somehow ever forces Mother to sacrifice it and herself to save as many, if not all, of us that she can possibly save at all. If I can actually remember certain visions and/or dreams of mine that relate at least partly to our possible futures well enough, those of us who somehow then survive the long trip to Earth will be deposited nearly, or exactly, a thousand years from when we left the Moon behind. We would most likely never be able to return to it again by normal enough means, as well, if I'm not too mistaken here. Which'd mean that those of us who survive that trip then might somehow end up somewhere in the 20th Century, if I'm not mistaken, of course. And we'll then be transferred to Earth, I expect. Also, we'd perhaps spend either nearly one thousand, or exactly one thousand, years in a state of temporary dormancy. Maybe in some sort of suspended animation. I'm not exactly sure. All I can tell you about the trip to Earth at the current time is this here, though, I think. I think that we'll be spending close to, if not exactly, a thousand years asleep in our various globes or other kinds of containers that we might be transferred to Earth in."

"But that still doesn't explain the 30th Century reference," Venus Beta said.

"I know that, Venus Beta. And I don't really understand why I wrote that yet. I don't even know why I did. Maybe someday I'll know why. But at the current time, I don't know or understand why, I did so."

Then Serenity reminded her current companions that she'd have to leave them again, as she soon led them all back to the teleportation room. She had all the Scouts that'd come with her earlier that very day write out rather brief messages on several pieces of parchment that she provided to them. That was the case for them here only if they actually wanted to write to anyone who might be anywhere on the Moon's Moon City side, quite naturally enough. She then made quite sure, even as they were still doing so, that they didn't actually say anything in them that they weren't supposed to say at all right now. She did this at least a little bit here, in fact, just before she took them from any Scouts who actually wanted to write to anyone who was perhaps now on the Moon's Moon City side. Serenity soon stowed all those messages away in her things again. She did that here even as she also reminded them of all the things that they'd likely have to do while they were still where they now were. She reminded them all about just how to contact her, if the need ever arose whenever they were all staying on the Moon's Rainbow Springs side with each other. And about just how she'd contact them in any sufficiently similar situations from the Moon's Moon City side, if she ever needed to do that at all. Only a few more brief moments of conversation were then shared between her, her cats, and her Scouts. Including, of course, her goodbyes to them here, for all the obvious reasons. When she felt that she'd then talked enough with them for at least the time being, she prepared to leave again for the Moon's other side. And she put her things in the necessary area of the teleportation room. With that then done, she said, "Neptune Alpha and Moon, you're each in command of your respective teams of Scouts. Moon, you'll be in complete overall control of all the Scouts in my absence, if trouble to a sufficient enough degree arises while you're all still here. If Sylvia's able to come here to the Moon, I'll let you all know that somehow, if I possibly can. And if she's somehow able to come to you here on it, then I'll also let you all know how to make it possible for her to do so, if I can. God willing, then, I'll see you all again someday in the very near future. I love you all very much. Please try to take as good care of yourselves as you possibly can. Oh, before I go, I have just two or so other things I now have to mention to Moon, Corona, and Eclipse, so that I don't forget them here too easily. Come here, Moon, Corona, and Eclipse, so that I can whisper it into each of your ears, or tell you it through signing, well enough."

So Moon, Corona, and Eclipse did as Serenity asked them to do here. And she told each of them, in turn, from oldest daughter to youngest daughter, "Girls, I'm apparently with at least one child again. It appears that I'll be having at least twins, if not triplets or more babies, before too much more time passes for us all. You three are all not to mention this to any other Princess or Scout that you meet here, without my prior permission to do so, if at all possible. I don't have time to explain exactly why right now, girls. But I'll explain why sometime later, if I possibly can do so then. Only Luna, Artemis, your uncle Raphael, your father Daniel, and several of our royal physicians know this as well now, as do all the necessary maidservants of mine. This isn't yet public knowledge. And it won't be public knowledge either. At least while you're all together here on this side of the Moon for the time being, anyway. That's certain to be the case here for it only if you three girls don't actually share any or all of this information with any of your other companions who don't already know of it, of course. Serena, you most especially must not mention it. For if you do, it might hasten our Moon Kingdom's end, I fear. I can't explain how I know that yet. For I don't know how I do know it yet. Call it a feeling, though, if you must. But this information must not be revealed, at least not until I say otherwise, if possible, to any other person or animal who doesn't yet know it. Darien doesn't even know it yet, and he hopefully won't. At least not until I tell him, that is. I won't likely be showing until I'm at least in my third or fourth month, girls, if I'm not already at least that far along."

"Destiny, Bethany, and I may be having younger siblings?"

"Yes, Moon. You may indeed not be our only children."

"I hope at least one of them is a boy, then, Mother," said Moon.

"Yes. I think that at least one of them will be a boy, if not all of them. Supposing, of course, that I'm indeed with child again, Moon."

"All right, Mother. I'm sure that we'll all do whatever we can to make sure that nobody else who doesn't yet know that information learns it before it's the proper time for them to learn it. It may not be easy for us to do so, but we'll all try to do so. Even me, of course."

"Thank you, Moon."

She answered very quietly indeed any other questions that her daughters actually had for her here at the current time, in the proper manners, of course, before she had them all back far enough away from her here. That was so that she could leave the room in the required manner here, obviously enough. When they were far enough back from her in that room, she waved goodbye to all her Scouts and to both cats. And she did it only a few seconds before she said her necessary teleportation phrase again to allow her to leave it then in that very manner. She said it twice, in fact, for she was still in her Sentinel Serenity state as a Scout. Serenity then disappeared in a brief flash of light as she began the necessary process that'd eventually return her to the Moon's Moon City side. As she left, everyone else who was also in the room with her then prayed that they'd all actually be able to return there before too much more time passed for them all, as well, by the way.

Moments later, then, Moon and all her current companions soon transformed out of their respective Scout states, if they could do so, just because they all wanted to be just Princesses for at least a little while, if not longer. Several of those girls soon went to their respective chambers elsewhere in the RSP. And they then did whatever else they wanted to do in them. Serena and all the other girls that'd just come to that Palace with Queen Serenity, Luna, and Artemis then either took naps in them, or they did whatever else came to their minds in them. Serena, Destiny, Bethany, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina all soon crashed, in a manner of speaking, in their respective chambers. And they all actually took some naps in each of them. While Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan mainly tried to catch up as much as they could with their currently-present siblings elsewhere in the RSP.

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I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first two chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	3. Chapter Three

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

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_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

In The South Courtyard Of The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

A few days later, at most, then, the Princesses began to train with each other in the RSP, as often as they could do so, if they'd not begun doing so already. It was just past local dawn, after all of them had eaten their respective breakfasts at a minimum of two or three tables not long before then. The Earth had set about an hour, at most, in the sky above their heads. And the Sun had begun showing in it around the time that it did, if not exactly when it did so. They hadn't yet been joined by Sylvia on that side of the Moon, in fact. But by then, they'd all received a message from Queen Serenity within the past twelve hours that told them all, essentially, that Sylvia had indeed retrieved the required message canister before anyone else in her part of Earth did. The latest message from Serenity also said to them that Sylvia would come to the Moon again, the first chance she got to do that. But only after she could first try to make sure that all three of her siblings could also come to the Moon for at least a little while. Sylvia didn't know just how soon that'd be possible, of course. But she did tell Serenity that she'd come there as soon as she could, if at all possible for her, with all of her other siblings. She didn't know yet either exactly how she'd somehow manage to make it possible for her siblings to finally go to the Moon with her, for that matter. But she still did say in her latest message to Serenity that she'd see what she could do to make it possible for her to bring them with her to the Moon, somehow.

Serena was rather glad to hear that Sylvia had replied quite quickly to Serenity's last message to her, and that she'd somehow sent back a considerably long reply to it, of course. And she hoped that Sylvia would once again be able to come back to the Moon. But this time that she'd be able to do so with all her siblings coming along with her. Unlike the last time that she'd been on the Moon some time before.

Sylvia had two sisters and a brother. All who were likely younger than her, if what the people from the Moon Kingdom already knew about her was sufficiently accurate, of course. Her sisters were Princesses from Israel, and her brother was, by logical extension, a Prince from there as well. Her sisters were the Princesses Rebecca and Martha. While her brother was Prince Ulysses, who was also often called simply enough, just "Uly" by people.

Little did Sylvia even know that she, at least, of her parents' children, might be on the Moon when the Negaverse came to conquer or destroy it. If she even knew it yet, of course. And little did she even know that any or all of her siblings might be on it as well at that time, or that Rolando might be there then too. Also if she even knew it yet. Only time would then eventually tell who'd be on the Moon when the Negaverse came to either conquer or destroy it. And if the Negaverse did so, then who'd be lost of those people then on it, if any of those people would be lost on it, and who'd somehow survive of those then on it. If everyone then on the Moon wasn't saved somehow, at such a time, any time at all in the future.

It'd been Amy and Raye who'd found that message canister somewhere in one of the RSP's gardens, as they'd been walking in it, about a day or two after they'd just returned to it for the first time in quite a while. It took both of them and Lita, at least, to get it easily enough out of the ground somewhere in that garden. For that canister had buried itself about 80 or so of its total length into the ground there. They all brought it to Serena's chambers there. Where a short meeting soon was held, of course, so that they could all see what Serenity had just sent them in that same canister. Some time later, then, they all retired. For it was now getting rather late that very day. And the Earth was almost about to rise in the skies above the RSP, because of that very fact.

It was now within two days, at most, after that message canister's arrival that Serenity had just sent them not long after she'd returned to the Moon's Moon City side alone. And it was now just after local dawn, as already stated.

Serena soon decided it was about time that they start training again in the RSP. Even though, of course, she'd have preferred to train somewhere on the Moon's Moon City side, if she and her fellow Scouts had to train at all. After every one of the now-present Scouts had consumed as much food as they each wanted for their respective breakfasts, and had waited for an hour after finishing that food, and taking care of the necessary dirty dishes, Serena had her fellow Scouts transform into their respective Scout states, as she did the same.

That done, she chose up pairs of Scouts to compete against each other. And the odd one out at the current time, because of the fact that Sylvia hadn't yet arrived on the Moon's other side, if she even would, was Dorothy Catherine Gallenski. D.C. Gallenski was actually Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma whenever she was in her own Scout state. Everyone else, then, paired up with another Scout here. Even Junior Sailor Moon, in fact.

Mercury, who was also known as Amy Lynne Anderson, ended up facing Pluto Alpha, who was otherwise known as Deborah Caroline Meyers. Mars, who was also known as Raye Erica Hino, faced off against Saturn Alpha, who was also Jacqueline Henrietta Tompkins. Jupiter, who was also Lita Valerie McKinley, paired off with Uranus Alpha, who was also Ariel Melinda Herschel. Venus, who was also Mina Joyce Abernathy, met Jupiter Beta, who was also Lita's cousin Beatrice Daphne Kirby. Corona, who was also Destiny Anne Moon, then took on Venus Beta, who was also Aurora Clarissa Abernathy. Eclipse, who was also Bethany Rachel Moon, did the same for Mercury Beta, who was also Chloe Cordelia Anderson. Pluto Beta, who was also Susan Frances Meyers, took on Mars Beta, who was also Bridget Blossom Hino. Uranus Beta, who was also Alexis Carla Herschel, paired up with Uranus Gamma, who was also her younger sister Gwendolyn Portia Zoe Herschel, and who was often called just Winnie by people in her life who knew her well enough in it. Neptune Beta, who was also Michelle Philomena Gallenski, met up with Pluto Gamma, who was also Tracy Amelia Meyers. Saturn Beta, who was also Hannah Brenda Tompkins, found herself paired up with Saturn Gamma, who was also her younger sister Estella Florence Tompkins. That then meant, of course, that Moon, who was the only other Scout currently left on her team of Scouts, would have to face Neptune Alpha. Junior Sailor Neptune Alpha was also Poruzuka Charlotte Gallenski.

After Moon had chosen the pairings between each pair of her fellow Scouts that'd be competing at the current time with each other, including herself, she sent each of those pairs to different areas of the RSP's grounds. That was so they could all train far enough away from any other pairs who were also doing the same, but still close enough to allow monitoring equipment to actually let her and all the other Scouts know if any trouble showed up in the RSP's area. This monitoring equipment would monitor their training sessions with each other, for all the obvious reasons. And just to be sure that everything was exactly how it should go during those same training sessions, Luna and Artemis would have voice-activated pendants hanging from collars around their own necks. Just as each Scout would have power lockets somewhere on each of their uniforms. Or if certain trouble would arise anywhere near enough to where they each were, Luna and Artemis would hopefully enough somehow be able to let the Scouts know of it as soon as possible, if they could even do so then at all in time. Periodically, if not constantly, while Luna and Artemis were monitoring all the training sessions between the Scouts, they'd have the Scouts check in with them, of course, and vice versa. Or at least whenever there were at least two or three Scouts who weren't currently training with each other, and training sessions were still going on at such times, they'd do so, if they possibly could do that at all, in fact.

Periodically, Moon would alter the assigned pairings for the required training sessions. This was so that every single one of the Scouts on one team would hopefully be able to practice enough against all the members of the other team of Scouts, and vice versa. If that was even possible while they were all still on the Moon's Rainbow Springs side. It might eventually turn out not to be the case, for some trouble might arise that might make that at least partly impossible. But Moon, and so many others with her at the current time, all hoped that wouldn't actually turn out to be the case at all. Or at least not for a very long time, if ever, of course.

Then, as soon as Moon and Neptune Alpha had confirmed that all their teams' currently-competing Scouts were all ready to begin training again as Scouts, Moon said, "Let the competitions between us all now begin, if none of you object to us all doing so now."

No objections came back from any of the other Scouts who were spread out now all over the RSP's grounds. So Moon soon said, "I now order the training sessions to begin, as required by Serenity earlier, as soon as we were adjusted well enough to being on this side of the Moon. That time has now come for all of us who are to now begin competing with each other here. And it'll eventually come for Neptune Gamma, if and when Skyhorse ever shows up here to train with us as well. Let the training sessions begin, and I and Neptune Alpha both wish you well in them. God willing, of course. Today's training sessions are to end one hour before Earthrise. So we should now all begin, so that we have at least enough time for us all to train in here before then. Begin training now. Moon out."

When she said that, she closed her communications channel, so she could begin training with Neptune Alpha. For at least the next ten to twenty minutes, then, she and Neptune Alpha warmed themselves up by testing each other with attacks that they'd normally use against their opponents with more power and accuracy. Granted, their powers were all diminished to at least some degree. But they were still at least a little powerful, just the same. As they warmed up, they also periodically bumped up the intensity of those attacks to at least some degree. And they did this at least until each of those attacks that they'd been using to warm up with each other was as powerful as it could be, under the current situation, for either of them or any of their fellow Scouts. As they did that, the same thing was also happening all over the grounds with all the other Scouts who were currently competing with each other here.

They trained with each other for a while, until they both got at least a little hungry. Which happened about twenty or so minutes before local midday. When they were so hungry that they couldn't concentrate much on their training session with each other, they soon stopped firing various attacks at each other. Then Moon called up the rest of the Scouts who were currently training with each other. And she said, "Scouts, be in the main dining hall of the palace within an hour. I feel it's almost time for our lunch period." She and Neptune Alpha awaited the replies of their fellow Scouts for a while. And once they came, Moon said, "Begin cooling-down procedures now with each other. Be in the main dining hall as ordered at the necessary time, for lunch. No debate. This is an order, on my authority both as a Sailor Scout and as Moon Princess Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon. Moon out."

Then she and Neptune Alpha began the required cooling-down procedures with each other, so that they wouldn't hurt themselves by unnecessarily ending their training sessions too quickly. It took at least a little while, of course, for them to do so. And it took almost as long, if not at least as long, for them to do that as it had for them to originally warm themselves up with each other some time before, as well. But eventually, they were both sufficiently cooled down after they'd just trained with each other for a while. And once they were both cooled down enough to suit each other well enough here, Moon said, "Neptune Alpha, that was a rather good training session with you just now, I think."

"You weren't too bad yourself, Moon. You sure handle your Silver Moon Star Blast well enough. You took care of a lot of my drones that I had opposing you with it. How did you do with it on Ozotov IV?"

"Well enough, I suppose. I believe that I took out at least a few hundred or a few thousand Negaversers with it, when we were fighting against them there."

"Too bad I couldn't have been there to see it."

"Well, you were elsewhere, if I'm not mistaken, Neptune Alpha. I'm not exactly sure where, but I just know that you were. Your fellow Neptunian Sailor Scout Neptune Beta did rather well during our recent adventure there, I think."

"Figures. She has that Mini-Ball Deep Submerge attack that she quite often uses in concert with Uranus Beta's Mini-World Shaking Blast attack, I think, Moon. I've heard that both of those attacks are often quite powerful in their respective natures."

"Correct, Neptune Alpha. I think we now need to transform out of our respective Scout states here, for all the obvious reasons. I'm quite hungry and thirsty, in fact. And from the current looks of you right now, you are too, Neptune Alpha. If we're both actually going to get something to eat soon enough, we better exit our Scout states right now."

So Neptune Alpha powered down. Then Moon did the same thing just a few moments later. After they both did so, they soon parted, once Serena told her by when she'd have to be in the RSP's main dining hall. And they both went to their respective chambers in that palace, so that they could get ready for their lunch period, of course.

* * *

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first three chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	4. Chapter Four

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

* * *

_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Dining Hall In The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

Some length of time later, then, after everyone had gotten ready for their lunch period, they all met in the main dining hall, as planned. By the time that they all got there, then, Dorothy already had at least a little food and drink ready for them all to consume. For while her fellow Scouts were all training elsewhere all over the RSP's grounds, she'd been preparing some food for at least a little while. This was so that when their morning training sessions were done, everyone could eat very soon after that became the case for them, of course.

She wasn't as good a cook as Lita was normally. But she'd still been known to make some rather delicious food items in the past. Even before she first left Neptune some time before. Which was most likely anytime in the last six to twelve Terran months, if not even earlier than that in her own life. She was now about a month or two past the middle of the sixth year of her mortal life, at least according to the usual calendar year used by most people either on Terra or anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. True, a Neptunian year was much longer than a Terran year. But she still was about five or so Terran years old, by the usual time-keeping standards of most people anywhere in the Moon Kingdom or on Terra. She'd left Neptune for the first time by the time that she was about 60 or so Terran months of age. And since the time that she did that, she had rarely, if ever, been back on Neptune or in its mini-system of moons and/or space stations. That was mainly, if not entirely, due to the great distances that usually needed to be traversed mile by mile between the Moon and Neptune's mini-system. Sometimes, people were even able to travel through hyperspace between various Moon Kingdom worlds. But such had not been the case while her older sister and her three fellow Alpha-level Scouts were still out of the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system. She'd eventually joined them on the necessary ship heading back to the Moon when they'd gotten close enough for her to teleport onto that ship. Just as Tracy Meyers had also done when they'd earlier passed by Pluto some time before. After she teleported to that ship, she then spent the rest of the trip back to the Moon with her sister Poruzuka, or at least as often as she could during it. Even after Gwendolyn Herschel and Estella Tompkins teleported onto that ship too. That was whenever she wasn't with anyone else aboard it instead, of course.

By the time that her sister Michelle also returned eventually to the Moon Kingdom's homeworld with all the other Princesses, Queen Serenity, and two cats that they'd just been with while they were all still present anywhere on Ozotov IV, she was already on the Moon with at least a few other Moon Kingdom Princesses. After Michelle had eventually returned to the Moon with Serenity and the rest of their current companions from anywhere at all in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system, she'd begun getting considerably well-acquainted with various other people who also lived on the Moon, if she'd not already begun doing so in her life.

Dorothy Catherine, who was also often called just "D.C.," had earlier taken over the required protection duties at least temporarily, if not permanently, for her planet and its mini-system, at least for as long as her oldest sister was away from Neptune on a mission for Serenity. Supposing, of course, that her sister Michelle was currently unable for any reason at all to take them over herself. Like if she'd been whisked too far away from the Moon Kingdom to protect her planet and its mini-system, for example.

D.C. periodically also had at least a little help, if and whenever possible, from certain other Scouts or other Moon Kingdom military personnel as she then did the best that she could to protect her planet and its mini-system from any conceivable kind of harm that might come toward them both, of course. It wasn't always easy for her to protect it well enough, due to her still-young age, quite obviously enough. But she still managed to keep it safe enough from such conceivable harm, at least until such time as she then teleported herself onto the necessary ship that was heading back toward the Moon after its last mission to another Milky Way Galaxy solar system. She only left her protection duties directly relating to her planet and its mini-system when she was sure that they'd both still be protected as much as possible from such kind or kinds of harm. After she was as sure as she could be that they'd be protected as much as they could be, she eventually teleported onto the ship that was now heading back toward the Moon.

As D.C. finished putting the food that she'd just made for lunch on a large table in the main dining hall, Serena and the rest of the Princesses entered that dining hall. They all did that here so that they could each get themselves at least some lunch, before they'd actually have to start training again. Of course, Luna and Artemis weren't far behind them, if they were even behind them at all. Destiny was being led into the main dining hall by Bethany, as was quite often the case for her in her life. And whenever Bethany did that, she was always connected to her older sister Destiny, with a cord attached between one wrist of theirs apiece. That was so that Destiny wouldn't unnecessarily bump into anything at all anywhere that Bethany might go with her in her life, quite obviously enough.

Serena and Raye were quite animated as they entered the main dining hall with each other and the rest of the girls who'd earlier been training all over the RSP's grounds. As they did so, their hands were often moving quite rapidly, so that Bethany could try to follow their conversation whenever she wanted to. As they did so, they often heard or saw comments from various other Princesses now in that main dining hall with them.

At the moment, Raye and Serena were having a discussion about Darien. And they were both wondering how soon, if at all, they'd be able to see him in person again somehow. Raye was currently very skeptical about the chances of that somehow happening any time in the very near future. As were a number of other girls who were now with her in that part of the RSP. Serena, though, was not sharing that opinion, of course. She said, "Raye, I think that we might be able to get out of here again sometime by the middle of December. That is, if we all work hard enough here in the meantime. And then, if that's the case, I think we'll be able to get back to Moon City before too much more time passes for each of us."

"I say we'll not likely get out of here for at least a week before December 20th, Serena."

"I disagree, Raye. I don't think Mom would mind if we came back to the Moon's Moon City side by then. Of course, I could be wrong, you know. I want to see my honey again as soon and as often as I can."

"Serena, don't count on that happening for at least a while. Your mother, in her latest message to us, also said that might not be possible. And that she knew you'd probably be quite upset, if it isn't, by then," said Lita.

"Lita, what's wrong with wanting to be with my honey, who is also my Rose Prince?"

"Rose Prince? We've not heard you refer to Darien as that before, Serena," said Lita.

"Well, he is a Prince, Lita. And he does at least occasionally give me roses, does he not?"

"Well, yeah, Serena, I suppose so. But does he know that he's also your Rose Prince?"

"No, Lita. Not yet. But he does know that he's my honey. And those of you who know me well enough in my life know that's true as well."

"I suppose so," said Lita.

"Who else besides Raye likes Darien, then?" asked Serena.

Deborah said, "I do, at least a little." As she eventually said this here and now, all the Princesses and the cats now present in the RSP's main dining hall began taking seats at tables near each other in it, if they'd not already done so.

"Who else?" Of course, Serena asked that sort of question again.

Beatrice said, "I think he's cute. However, my parents, at least, if not also my sister Rachel, probably wouldn't like the idea much of me ever chasing a man or a boy like him who's from Earth, and not from Jupiter or anywhere in Jupiter's mini-system. I'm not jealous, though, of Serena and the close relationship that she shares with him. Or at least not very jealous, if even a little bit at all."

"Cousin, you'd chase him too, if you could?" This was from Lita to her cousin Beatrice. And Lita asked this while D.C. began serving food and drinks to each of her fellow Princesses and the cats, if she'd not already done so.

"I could, already, Lita. Even though my parents, at least, if not also my sister Rachel, would probably not like it much, I could do so, I think, if I really wanted to. But at the current time, which may be rather fortunate for Serena, I won't do so. Because if I did, I think that I could really give her a real run for her money, if not totally steal him away from her. And I don't think Raye would really have a chance to out-chase me for him, if we both tried to chase him at the same time. Nothing against Raye, of course, but I just think that I could really chase him with the very best of the Princesses from our Moon Kingdom, if not be the best of all those Princesses from it. Supposing, of course, that I really wanted to chase him. Which I don't want to do at the current time in my life, if I'll ever chase him in it. I haven't done so, and I don't think I'll do so for at least a little while longer yet, if ever, in it. I've seen him around the Moon before at least a few times. Even when he's with Serena and a number of you others. And he seems to be the happiest of all whenever he's with Serena and her sisters, anywhere on it."

"Who else here likes my honey too?" For a third time, Serena asked about that sort of thing, at least as it related to Darien and any of her current companions in the main dining hall of the Rainbow Springs Palace.

Ariel, Poruzuka, and Jackie also said they did like him at least a little. Ariel and Jackie said that they might consider chasing him someday. But at the current time, they said that they wouldn't. For they were currently more interested in young men from their own respective worlds and/or their respective worlds' mini-systems than they were in him. Sure, they both liked him at least a little. But they weren't currently interested in chasing him in either of their lives. While they said so to Serena, Poruzuka also said, "He's nice, but I don't think that I'll ever want to chase him in the future. Even if it's possible for me to do so someday yet in the future. Of course, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. At least not about something like this, as of the current time in my own life."

Then, after D.C. finished serving food and drinks to all her current companions in that dining hall, if she'd not already done so, she took some food and drinks for herself. And she soon took a seat at one of the tables in it. Specifically the one that several of the Princesses who were also Outer Scouts were sitting at. Which was the one that both her sisters were at in it.

There were four tables that were currently occupied by Moon Kingdom Princesses, with at least one open seat at one of them, if not more than one of them, in the main dining hall. Serena was now sitting at the same table that Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany were also all sitting at. Susan, Alexis, Hannah, Tracy, and Chloe were sitting at another table with Bridget there too. Winnie, Aurora, Beatrice, and Jackie were sitting at a third table with Ariel. That left the fourth of the aforementioned occupied tables to be occupied by Michelle, Dorothy, Poruzuka, Estella, and Deborah, of course.

As for Luna and Artemis, they each were sitting on top of another table behind four bowls on that table. Two of those bowls had food in them. While two of those bowls had water in them, of course. And the table they were now both sitting on was quite near the one that Serena and her current table-mates were now sitting around in the main dining hall.

After D.C. finally took her seat at her sisters' table, Serena soon said the blessing over the food that D.C. had earlier made for all the Princesses who were currently in the main dining hall, and for both Luna and Artemis, as well. After she'd done so well enough, she let herself and all her current companions in it begin eating their food, and drinking their various beverages, if that's what any or all of them really wanted to do in it for at least a little while. And she tried not to eat too fast while she ate her lunch, for all the obvious reasons. But she wasn't always successful enough in doing that, at least during her current lunch period. For she often wanted to eat a lot of food whenever she ate a meal with more than a few other people in her life, if at all possible. And this was actually one of those certain kinds of times in it. Or at least it was to some degree, if it wasn't entirely one of those times in it.

As she and her companions all ate their food, and drank all their drinks, they often conversed about at least a few things and people in each of their lives. And they wondered how soon they'd all actually be able to return to the Moon's Moon City side. And they wondered under what circumstances that they'd do so, if it was at all possible for them to do so, or if it'd be required that they do so, for any reason whatsoever in each and/or every single one of their own mortal lives in God's very own Universe.

Eventually, Serena thought she and her fellow companions in the main dining hall of the RSP had been in it long enough for them all to eat and drink the food they'd been provided with for each of their lunches. So she said as much. Even though she'd not have minded another serving of cherry pie. Then she said, "D.C., you did a really good job on all this food and these drinks while we were all otherwise occupied elsewhere on the grounds of this palace here. I hope that you can do the same for tonight's evening meal."

D.C. said, "Thank you, Serena. I'll see what I can do for tonight's meal, because it doesn't look like I'll be training yet, does it?"

"No. Sylvia's not yet here. We'll let you know if and when she is. And then we'll handle things as necessary when she arrives. Supposing, of course, that she even shows here sometime soon enough on this side of the Moon."

"I wish none of the Gamma-level Scouts had to train yet as Scouts in their lives, Serena."

"Well, I don't think that it's totally unheard of for kids younger than seven or eight years of age to do that. And I don't think that it'll be at all in the future. I have this strange feeling, though I can't explain it right now, that my future daughter will have to begin training as a Sailor Scout from a very young age."

"Supposing, of course, that you have one, Serena?" asked D.C., rather curious about Serena's plans for the future, and anything relating sufficiently well to it. At least right now, anyway. She already knew at least a little bit about Serena's dreams and visions about what might possibly happen in the future for Serena and various others in her life. And just because of that fact, she also knew that in at least a few of those visions and/or dreams of Serena about possible futures for Serena and various others in her life, there was often a rather young girl with pink hair who Serena and others would likely call Rini. That was if any of those possible futures that included Rini in them actually somehow came to pass sufficiently well in the future for all concerned people in it or them, of course.

"Well, yeah, D.C., that's sort of what I mean, when I mention this particular strange feeling that I'm having now in my life about her. I hope that such a thing doesn't ever happen in the future. But I fear that it might very well come to pass, of course."

"Well, if it does, I hope that God gives you the ability to train her up in the way that she should go in her life. Both as a Sailor Scout and as your daughter. No matter where you both are at such times in the future."

"So do I, Dorothy. And I'm sure that most, if not all, of our current companions here will feel the same way in the future, if they don't already hope that in each of their lives here on the Moon. Or at least I hope they do, of course."

Serena soon dismissed all her fellow Princesses from the main dining hall, once everyone had taken all their dirty dishes, glasses, and silverware to the necessary part of that dining hall. And after they'd done that here so that they could eventually be cleaned in the proper manner before too much more time passed in all their lives. All except D.C., of course, who'd take care of them before she started preparing that night's meal for all of her fellow Princesses and both cats. After Serena dismissed all her fellow Princesses from the main dining hall in the proper manner, she soon left. And Luna and Artemis followed her, minutes after she left that main dining hall.

Serena and the rest of the Princesses who didn't actually stay in the main dining hall soon went to each of their chambers elsewhere in the palace. Those places were where they'd each have at least an hour, but no more than two hours, to themselves before they'd then have to resume their training for at least a little while, if not a long while. Luna and Artemis went to a garden, though, elsewhere on the grounds. And they spent at least an hour, if not longer than an hour, enjoying themselves as much as they possibly could enjoy themselves there. They did this by doing whatever came to either or both of their minds while they were still in that garden, in fact. Which was, for that matter, the Double Anchor Garden, somewhat near the northwestern corner of the RSP's grounds.

* * *

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first four chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	5. Chapter Five

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

* * *

_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Serena's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

Serena spent most of her free time before she'd have to get ready to train again either praying or napping, if not all of it doing either or both of those things. She quite earnestly prayed for at least one more sister and for at least one brother, if not for more than one baby of either genders or both genders. And she also hoped that if she did somehow get to have at least one more sibling, if not more than one more, that they'd all be both sighted and hearing, of course. Even though she was well aware of the possibility that might not happen, as it hadn't happened at least twice with her twin sisters.

She didn't think that her mother would have a lot more children, if any at all. But if her mother did, she did hope that she'd be able to help quite a bit with them all. Little did she know that she could have at least a few more siblings. Only time would tell how many her mother would have after enough time had passed in each of their lives. Whether she had only one, or she had more than one, somewhere on it. But she did realize that her mother would most likely not have any more after that time had passed in each of their lives, no matter how many she had at some later date. Mainly due to the fact that her mother was now in her early to middle forties. And if enough of her recent dreams and/or visions were sufficiently accurate, she'd not likely have enough time to be able to have any more children before the Negaverse would probably come to invade the Moon Kingdom eventually. She realized that there might be a very good chance that her mother would do what at least some people on the Moon might call "Shooting the Comet." Which meant that her mother might produce a maximum number of babies in what might be her last-ever shot to produce children while she was still in her child-bearing years anywhere on the Moon. Or at least a near-maximum number of babies. Which usually meant at least three children for the woman currently in question on the Moon. Only a rare few women in the currently-ongoing history of the Silver Millennium had ever produced more than eight children in a single batch of babies. And most of those women were from the Moon Kingdom's current royal line. Such a thing normally only happened about once every few generations, if not more rarely than that, on the average. Such a thing, though, hadn't happened for at least the past eighty or so years, if not longer than that. And Serena didn't know if her mother would be the next Moon Kingdom woman to do that or not. Or at least, she didn't know yet if her mother would have more than just a few babies.

Eventually, though, she left her chambers again so that she could train again as a Scout. That was even though she did so rather reluctantly, of course. On the way to the necessary area of the grounds, she met up with Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina, Destiny, and Bethany.

Raye said, "I see you've been busy napping and praying."

Serena asked, "How can you tell, Raye?"

"Your hair's all tousled, and your face is a little wet, Serena. Just a little, but it's still wet. Were you crying while you prayed?"

"No, I wasn't. I just washed my face, and I sweated a little more than I expected while I was praying. A pillar of fire appeared rather close to me while I was praying, and God was there in the pillar while I prayed to Him. He talked to me from inside the pillar while it was about two feet away from where I was kneeling near my bed in my chambers. He told me things I can't yet tell to any of you girls who aren't actually my sisters. I can tell Destiny and Bethany, but not you, Amy, Lita, or Mina right now. The same thing goes for all the Outer Scouts here with us, plus Bridget, Chloe, Beatrice, and Aurora. Luna and Artemis talked to Him just before He talked to me, and what He told them, He also told me."

"I see, Serena. Can you give us all a little hint, then, what He told you, Serena?"

"No, Raye. I can't. Otherwise, there'll be serious consequences for me and for anyone I tell about the things He told me not to reveal to any or all of the unnecessary people until further notice. Especially me, of course. As for Destiny and Bethany, I can tell them what He told me, for they're my sisters. Mother also knows what He just told me and both of the cats. For she was praying to Him at the same time that I was. And she soon told me to obey Him, not long after she learned that from Him. So I'll obey Him, and I'll obey her, for all the obvious reasons."

Raye soon asked, "If He says that you can reveal those things to us, will you?"

"Yes. But only if He says so, Raye. So there's no way I'm going to tell you what He told me, if I don't have His permission to do so. Don't even think about nagging me about those things. For if you do, I fear that you'll find yourself in some trouble that you never really wanted to find yourself in. If and when I can ever reveal to you girls other than Destiny and Bethany what He told me, Mother, Luna, and Artemis, then I'll most certainly consider the possibilities of doing so. But only if you girls don't nag me about them at all."

So Raye and the girls didn't nag her about whatever God had earlier told her, her mother, and both of the cats. Even though they were at least a little curious about what He'd said to Serena, Serenity, Luna, and Artemis, at least, of course. Moments later, Raye, Lita, Amy, and Mina left the Princesses from the Moon alone, so they could all be at the necessary courtyard on the grounds when Moon, Corona, and Eclipse showed up there sometime later.

When Destiny and Bethany asked about such things, just after they were left alone with Serena again, Serena said or signed to her twin sisters, "Come to my chambers after everyone else most likely goes to bed, and I'll tell you what God told me, Mother, Luna, and Artemis, you two. I don't want to say anything that I don't have to say about them right now, Destiny and Bethany. Come about twenty or so minutes before local midnight, and I'll tell you then what He told the four of us. When you come, please make sure that you're both not being tailed to my chambers, for all the obvious reasons. Even if you have to have Luna and Artemis help you do so, please make sure that you're both not being tailed to my chambers by any of the other Princesses here. I hope you can do that easily enough, of course, you two."

Destiny and Bethany silently conversed with each other for just a little while, just in front of Serena, by touching their hands together as needed here, before Destiny said to Serena, "Serena, we both understand. We'll do what you just told us to do, to the best of our respective abilities. Even if we have to have Luna and Artemis help us do so, we'll still do what you just told us to do. We'll knock on your door five times rather quickly when we come to it. We'll wait for you to come to the door for five or so minutes, at most, perhaps, before we start heading back to our respective chambers."

"Fine with me, girls. But be very careful that both of you girls don't either hurt yourselves or get needlessly followed, even if you have to transform into your respective Scout states, to my chambers by the people who aren't yet supposed to know what God told me, Luna, Artemis, and Mother sometime earlier. In any case, don't use lethal or near-lethal force, unless it's absolutely necessary, against anybody who you might see following you, if anyone is following you toward my chambers. Certainly not against a fellow Scout, of course. If you have to stop by the room where our powers are currently being stored to at least some degree, let me know as soon as you can, girls."

"Understood, Serena," said Bethany.

"All right. Now let's get ready to resume our training here. Even though you know I'd prefer for us all to train on the Moon's other side, of course."

So Serena and her twin sisters did as their situation now required them all to do while they were still on the RSP's grounds. And they all soon powered up as needed here. Which then meant Serena soon became Junior Sailor Moon, Destiny Junior Sailor Corona, and Bethany Junior Sailor Eclipse, as might be appropriate enough for them all in each of their own lives here, in fact.

After they did so, Moon eventually sent Corona and Eclipse back to the exact same areas in which they'd trained earlier that very day, so that they could each train again as needed here for each of them. She did that once the three of them had all met up briefly with all the other Scouts who were now able to train with each other. Only D.C. wouldn't have to train as a Scout yet. That was due to the current absence of Sylvia from the Moon's Rainbow Springs side. After she did so, she was alone again for at least a while, once all but one of her fellow Scouts had left her alone again in that part of the palace's grounds. Of course, the only Scout now with her when that happened was Neptune Alpha.

Moon said, "I see you're here, Neptune Alpha. I hope you're really ready to train hard before supper tonight. For I intend to take you down as much as I possibly can in this training session."

"Nothing against me, personally?"

"But of course, Neptune Alpha. It's just that we all need to train rather hard for at least a while. You, me, and any other Scout who's now with us anywhere here in this palace, of course. Believe me, I don't really want to do this. But it looks like I may really have no choice in this matter. And I think the same is true for all of the rest of you Scouts that are with me and the cats now here in this palace and on its grounds."

Then Moon and Neptune Alpha soon called each of their respective teammates who were just about to resume their earlier training sessions with each other. They each said whatever they had to say to them, before they both eventually signed off. And then they also began training with each other again here, quite naturally enough.

Moon and Neptune Alpha rather intensely trained with each other for at least the next few hours, with short breaks during their current training session with each other. As they then did so, they also knew, quite well indeed, that each of their teammates were doing the same thing now with each of their current opponents, in various places all over the RSP's grounds. Eventually, though, they both began to get rather tired during such a training session that they were now having with each other. When they finally felt that they'd both trained with each other enough during it, they said, soon enough, to each other, "Let's stop, at least for now, and let's pick this up later, if possible. I think that there's no real sense in us all literally killing ourselves with our training before each of us has at least a little bit more time to rest and eat for a while."

With no disagreement at all about that from either of them at all here, they soon decided to have the rest of their now-training teammates do the same thing, before they were all too tired to do so well enough. All such teammates of theirs quite readily agreed to do so in very short order. After Moon and Neptune Alpha heard that was quite true for the rest of their fellow now-training Scouts here, Moon immediately ordered all of them to stand down for at least the rest of the night, if possible. Those same Scouts then all did exactly as she'd just told them to do here.

The last of the Scouts to power down was Moon, for all the obvious reasons, of course. And she only did this after every other Scout who was also anywhere on the grounds did so. Even Neptune Alpha. After she did so, she soon sent Poruzuka to her chambers. She did this so that Poruzuka could rest a while before supper was due to be served, if Poruzuka really wanted to do that in the intervening time between now and then. Poruzuka didn't argue with her at all before leaving for her own chambers. Which made Serena quite happy indeed. And as Poruzuka did so, Poruzuka waved briefly at Serena, as if to say, "Great training session here just now, Serena. Hope we get to do it again sometime in the very near future." Serena watched that happen, and then watched Poruzuka leave for her own chambers, before she too returned to her own chambers.

* * *

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first five chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	6. Chapter Six

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

* * *

_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Inside Raye's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

While Serena and Poruzuka were both returning to their respective chambers elsewhere in the palace, Raye was already in her chambers there. For she'd actually been not too far away from them when she was training with Jackie. She was now getting ready to take her second shower of the day. Before she could begin doing so, though, her younger sister Bridget knocked on her door rather suddenly.

When Raye realized that, she said, "Bridget, I was just about to start my shower. I hope you have a really good reason to interrupt me now."

"Raye, as I was returning to my own chambers earlier, I saw a message canister suddenly land in the Double Anchor Garden. I went only close enough to it for me to see well enough that it was actually for you, Raye. It landed quite near the sculpture of Sailor Calypso there, within about two or so feet from it. I also saw a tag on it. And it was apparently from Chad, through Queen Serenity."

"Chad, you say?" Raye opened the door, after making quite sure that she was still decently enough clothed, of course. She stuck only her head out of it, just the same, though.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because I've been thinking of him at least a bit since I got here."

"I see. A boyfriend, perhaps?"

"No, not yet, if ever." Raye thought for a few seconds or so, at most, then looked at her sister briefly, still with only her head outside her door.

"What do you want to do, Raye?"

"I really want to take my shower now, Bridget. Here's what I want you to do, if possible. Please listen to me, and please do exactly as I say, so that nobody else bothers it until I get there, if you can possibly do so before they somehow manage to find it elsewhere on the grounds."

"Okay, Raye. I'm listening," said Bridget, once Raye finally decided to let her sister into her chambers for a few minutes or so. Raye had her sister hurry into her chambers. After which she quickly bolted the door rather securely behind them both, of course.

"First, get a metal shovel, and dig around it only enough to allow you to bury it completely in the ground. That'll most likely mean that you'll have to deepen that hole at least a little bit, if not a lot, as well, Bridget. Bury its closest end exactly two feet below the surrounding ground, if you possibly can. Then flatten all the dirt and grass above that end of the canister that you can, so that it'll most likely appear to those who don't look closely enough there, that the ground wasn't disturbed at all. When you do that, make at least doubly sure that it's not all that obvious that something's buried there for me, if you can. Even if you have to use a rake or something else to make as sure as you can that nobody else who doesn't already know that canister is there can find it easily enough. After you do that, stick no more than a few Martian rocks above where you buried that canister completely. That'll hopefully allow me to find it, then. And it might also keep everyone else from guessing that something's buried there before I can retrieve that canister. Please use only rocks that'll blend in well enough with the surrounding area near that statue, if possible, for the obvious reasons. Then before you leave the area again, so that you can eventually get to supper, stick one Martian flag in the middle of the rocks I told you to place there. That's so I can be at least doubly sure of that location when I come there to retrieve that canister. As you then leave the aforementioned area, please hide the shovel you just used somewhat under the nearest large rock, but not entirely, once you tie one of your blue hair ribbons securely enough on its handle. When you then leave the area, please try to make absolutely sure that nobody else can either see you or hear you in it. I don't really intend to show up there until sometime before local midnight. So you may have to be very careful indeed as you do all the things that I want you to do for me, at least as they might then relate to that canister."

"Understood. How soon do you expect to be out of your shower?"

"Fifteen or so minutes, I think. At least I'm hoping so, once you leave me alone again. After I shower and dress, I'll probably be killing time at least until I hear it's time for supper. If it's not already time for supper by the time that I get done showering and dressing myself, of course."

"Okay. Do you want me to hang out your 'Do Not Disturb' sign when I leave, Raye?"

"I'd like that very much, B.B., if you'd be so kind as to do that for me. I don't want to be bothered for at least a little while longer, if I don't really have to be. But you can come in later, if I'm still not out of my chambers when you come back this way." Raye stepped back into her bathroom again, so that she could start running the necessary water for her shower. She had B.B. come to the door of her bathroom only long enough for her to finish talking to Bridget before she began her shower. She left the door slightly ajar, so that she could do that, as she kicked off her shoes and reached around the door to set them outside it.

"All right. Where is your 'DND' sign, then, Raye?"

"Somewhere on top of my desk in my bedroom. Look near my music-related scrolls on my desk. It should be between two scrolls of classical Martian music, I think, Bridget. Probably between the scrolls labeled_Martian Mountain Challenge_ and _Memory of Mars_, if I'm not mistaken."

"_Martian Mountain Challenge_ and _Memory of Mars_?"

"I believe so. Now I think I'd better get out of my robe very soon, so that I can begin showering, of course. Come back here after you take care of what I really want you to take care of right now, if you want. Say 'Olympus Mons Descend' when you leave, and 'Olympus Mons Climb' if and when you return here later. But if you don't get here in time, and I'm already gone from here, you may not be able to get in here at all. I may decide to change the current access phrase to my chambers. If you can't get in here, you'll have to catch me later, of course."

"Understood. 'OMD' to leave, 'OMC' to return, if and when I return here before too much more time passes for us. Okay, Raye. Got it. Catch you later, then, of course. Enjoy your shower, then." B.B. left her sister's chambers with no further delay, so that Raye could begin her shower as planned, of course, once Raye let her sister do so. Raye bolted the door again rather securely after B.B. had just left her alone again in them.

Raye spent most, if not all, of at least the next fifteen minutes or so in her shower. And she got herself as clean as she possibly could get herself, before she dressed again. Raye donned a mostly crimson sweater and one of her oldest pairs of tan slacks, before she attended to her hair. She brushed it out until she was absolutely sure that there were no knots at all in it. Which meant that she spent at least another five to ten minutes brushing her hair, of course. Then, when she was sure enough that was the case, she put one of her tiaras on, just as Bridget came back to her chambers.

Bridget used the necessary access phrase to gain access to her sister's chambers, which she could still do. For Raye hadn't yet changed the necessary access phrase for others to gain access to them easily enough without asking her if they could come into them. Raye couldn't lock herself out by forgetting her current access code to any of the chambers designated for her use in any of the palaces on the Moon she'd stayed in for a long enough time. For just the sound of her voice outside each of those chambers would allow her to access them. The same thing was normally, if not always, true of most, if not all, of Queen Serenity's many subjects that'd stayed in any of the Moon Kingdom's palaces for a long enough time in each of their own lives. Serenity could also access any of the chambers that she'd provided to any of her subjects in any of the Moon Kingdom's palaces, at least on the Moon, just by using her voice to do so, if she wanted to. Of course, that was normally, if not always, possible. That was the case because of the somewhat simple fact that she actually was the Moon Kingdom's current Queen. However, she'd not normally do so for most, if not all, of her many subjects that were staying in such palaces. For she normally would want to respect their privacy, whenever it was possible for her to do so, both in her life and in their lives.

Of course, Queen Serenity's husband and daughters were all also subjects of hers. As were all the other members of Serena's royal Court. Which also meant that Raye and Bridget were also subject to her in the Moon Kingdom. Bridget didn't mind that so much. Unlike Raye, who really wanted to lead the Moon Kingdom someday in the future, if possible. Especially if she got to do it with Prince Darien at her side.

Raye realized that might not be possible. Especially if the Negaverse did invade the Moon Kingdom eventually. But she still hoped very much that it'd somehow be possible in the future, of course. She hoped that if she couldn't rule the Moon Kingdom, though, that Serena would someday be able to do so, or to someday be able to rule at least one successor government to it.

B.B. came back into Raye's chambers just as Raye was about to finish getting herself ready for supper. They talked for a few minutes more, before they began hearing the supper bells ringing in the nearby halls of the palace. When they did so, Raye said, "I guess we'd better get ourselves to supper now, B.B., before people start wondering where we are here in this palace."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

So they spent only about another few minutes, at most, in Raye's chambers, before they left them so they could both get to supper in time to eat it soon enough. As they did so, Raye changed the necessary access code to her chambers, so that she could be sure that she'd not be disturbed in the middle of the night, if it could possibly be avoided at all, by anyone other than her sister. She made it possible for Bridget to access her chambers later on, if the need ever arose during the current night. But she didn't do the same for any of the other Princesses who were on the RSP's grounds.

After she did so, she and Bridget reported to the main dining hall for their suppers. They quickly left the area of her chambers as they did so, so that they'd be far enough away from them if they encountered any of the other girls on the way to the main dining hall for supper.

* * *

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first six chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	7. Chapter Seven

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now have on fanfiction dot net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.

Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!

* * *

_First Kisses?_

A_The Chrysanthemum Chronicles_ Series Story

Main Dining Hall In The Rainbow Springs Palace

Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon

November 19, 986

Sometime later, then, all the Princesses who were now present on the palace's grounds and hadn't yet been in its main dining hall there eventually entered it, so that they could have their supper there. Luna and Artemis were already in it when they got there. Bethany and Destiny were he last of the Princesses to arrive in it. For they'd been a little delayed when Destiny had a little bit of unexpected trouble with her hair after she'd taken a short bath a little while earlier. It'd had some knots in it. And she also wanted to put it up for once in her life, which she often didn't do in it. So she had to spend a little more time than she'd planned to on her hair, of course. But eventually all the Moon Kingdom Princesses who were now on the palace's grounds were once again in the main dining hall.

By the time that Bethany led Destiny there, then, Serena and the other girls were chatting with each other and both cats at least a little bit while they waited for Serena's twin sisters to show up there. They were all waiting for the twins' arrival, so that everyone could then eat their suppers, and do so while they all sat at the same tables they'd sat at earlier that very day. Bethany soon brought Destiny back to the same table that they'd used, earlier in the day, at lunchtime. After which, she soon sat down at it as well. Of course, it was the exact table that Serena was now at, because they'd both eaten near her then. Bethany soon put Destiny in the exact place that she'd been in at the table earlier. And she herself then sat down in the same seat that she'd been in earlier. Every Princess, including, of course, Bethany and Destiny, sat in the exact seat that she'd been in during her earlier lunch period. Which made it much easier for Destiny to know where everyone else was in the main dining hall. After Bethany placed Destiny in the necessary seat at their table, she removed the cord from both their temporarily-connected wrists. She did that so that they'd be able to reach for things without either of them, or both of them, having to worry about bumping hands or other parts of them needlessly, if it could be avoided at all.

Bethany would be able to have both hands free to sign to others if she wanted. And she could touch Destiny's hands or other necessary parts of Destiny much easier than if they were still connected together by the cord, of course. Bethany would also be able to leave the table to get other things for other people and the cats in the main dining hall, if the need ever arose, or if she wanted to. Destiny would still be able to hear Bethany or other people and the cats move about in it, in fact. But she'd probably stay pretty much where she was while she and the rest of her companions were still having their suppers in the main dining hall.

As before, once D.C. had accounted for all her fellow Princesses and both cats, she began distributing the necessary food and drink items to her companions, before she took some of them for herself. By the time that she finished serving her fellow Princesses and both cats, everyone else was in the same place that they'd been earlier, just before Serena said a blessing over all the food and drinks that they'd had for lunch then. She took her own seat at the necessary table no more than a minute or two later.

Then Serena said another blessing over the food and drink items that D.C. had just made for the suppers of everybody now in the main dining hall. After she did so well enough here, everybody soon began to consume their suppers, as they then saw fit. Quite often, they all conversed with each other as they did so, by the way.

Serena said, "I got another message from Mother just before I came here for supper, everyone."

"Oh?" asked Raye.

"Yes. Darien has made plans to be on the Moon within a week, if possible. He sent a canister to Mother just before I came here. She teleported another canister to me in my chambers to tell me that. She told me not to expect to see him for at least two or three weeks, though. Mother wants us to stay here on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon, at least until December 6, if not even longer than that. That is, if we don't have to leave here for any reason whatsoever. True, it'll mean that Princess Lita won't be able to be on the other side of the Moon by the end of her birthday, if that's the case, of course. But that's what she wants us to do. I don't like it, obviously. But we'll just have to postpone any plans that we had for her birthday that we might have had for it on the other side of the Moon, if we don't do them on this side of the Moon instead then. Supposing that we all don't have to leave here at all for any reason whatsoever, girls. However, I do hope next year, if there is a next year for us, like I'm thinking that there will be for us, that we can have a lot of fun on her birthday next year."

Lita's next birthday would be December 5, 986, and she'd be ten years old then. Supposing, of course, that she was able to live at least that long, and nothing or nobody killed her in the meantime, for any reason whatsoever, in the known God-created Universe. Even if she couldn't get back to the Moon City side of the Moon by the end of her birthday, though, it might actually turn out that she might indeed enjoy it at least a little. But only time would tell if that'd be the case, quite naturally enough.

"Serena, I was planning on going shopping on my birthday before my birthday ball then, at least."

"I know that, Lita. But if we can't get back there by the end of your birthday, then either we'll have to postpone our plans for that day, or we might have to take care of them over here. I think if you can't show on the Moon City side of the Moon on your birthday, Mom will postpone or move your birthday ball until a later date. She told me that there are going to be many more balls and fireworks shows that are cancelled for as long as she sees fit to cancel them."

"And what do you think about that, Serena?"

"Lita, I don't like it, of course, at least to some degree. I think that it's great to have balls and fireworks shows quite often on the Moon. But it seems increasingly likely that we'll have to deal with the Negaversers at least one more time in each of our lives. And if any number of dreams and/or visions that a number of us Moon Kingdom citizens are sufficiently accurate, we may have no more than a few more years to do what we can to be ready for them when they come to invade our own Moon Kingdom. You may not like it, just as I already don't. But I'd be willing to stake my life on the chances of them coming to the Moon someday in the future. As a matter of fact, I may even be doing that now. And I may be doing the same thing with a whole lot of other people, I know. But I'm becoming even more sure every single day that they'll eventually come to the Moon. And that they'll probably kill me and Darien when we try to be together for at least a little while. I have this very strong feeling that both Darien and I will really be blasted by one of the Negaversers, if not more, and Mom won't let us lose our futures, if at all possible. Supposing that we get blasted by that evil Negaverser or by more than one evil Negaverser."

"We don't want you to die, Serena."

"If God actually makes it possible enough, Mother will save me somehow, I think. And she'll also save as many of us as she possibly can, no matter who we might or might not be. Whether we're good or bad, I'm sure. Destiny, I see myself somehow surviving. But I still don't know about all of the rest of you girls. I see Darien surviving just like me somehow. I see at least a few of you saved by her as well. But I don't know yet how many of us, if she can't save all of us, that she'll be able to save, if she trades the Moon Kingdom for as many of our futures as she can save from the end of our Moon Kingdom and its Silver Millennium. I can't even identify entirely who exactly might survive somehow the end of the Moon Kingdom. Darien and I will both somehow survive, though, I believe. As will Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Susan, Alexis, Michelle, and Hannah, at the very least. That's if I'm not too mistaken about the future, of course. Quite honestly, I really don't know about the rest of you Princesses, though. Luna and Artemis should also somehow survive as well, I think, everyone."

"What if we all somehow survive the end of the Moon Kingdom, then, Serena?" asked Winnie.

"Then you might end up somewhere on Earth at least once, if not more than once, I think. We may not all end up in the same general areas on it, after we leave the Moon, or we could. I don't know if I'll be able to see you all again at least once more after the end of our dear Moon Kingdom. But, of course, I hope I do, Winnie."

Everyone spent most, if not all, of the remaining time that they were all eating their suppers together in relative silence. For they all wanted to get to bed before it was rather late at night, so that they'd be able to get enough sleep before they trained again at least once more.

Eventually, everyone finished eating their suppers together. As soon as they could after doing so, they each left the main dining hall again. D.C. asked her sisters to help her with washing all the dirty dishes before bedtime, so her sisters rather readily agreed to do that with her. She didn't ask anyone to help her other than her sisters, in fact. So everyone else eventually left the main dining hall again.

Serena went to her chambers for a while, and she basically killed at least a little bit of time until her sisters would again come to them, so that she could meet with them as had earlier been planned. She did whatever came to her mind, while she was waiting for her sisters to come back to her own chambers later.

* * *

I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first seven chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	8. Chapter Eight

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Raye's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 19, 986 - November 20, 986  
  
Raye and Bridget then went to Raye's chambers. After which Raye rather quickly changed into  
  
her darkest clean work clothes, so that she'd hopefully not be seen too easily by anyone else. Or at least  
  
anyone else who didn't actually know now that she was planning to stop off in the Double Anchor Garden  
  
to retrieve the message canister that she'd had B.B. bury at least a little deeper there near the statue of  
  
Sailor Calypso, of course. After Raye had then donned her darkest clean work clothes easily enough to  
  
suit her sufficiently well, she then began quite earnestly painting her face, her hands, and any other part of  
  
her that she could see well enough in a mirror with as dark as a paint as she could then use on her skin.   
  
She naturally only used paint that'd also allow all of that exposed skin to breathe sufficiently well, of course.   
  
After she'd painted herself with that black paint as much as she could, she then had B.B. help her out to  
  
the best of her ability, by having her sister Bridget paint any other part of her that she'd likely missed while  
  
putting that paint on herself. Eventually, all of Raye's currently-exposed skin was painted sufficiently well.   
  
When that was done well enough to suit Raye at least that well, Raye soon left her own chambers, with her  
  
sister Bridget not far behind her. B.B. then began extinguishing all lights between Raye's chambers and the  
  
necessary part of the Double Anchor Garden, once she passed Raye at least once more, just outside  
  
Raye's chambers. Raye hid a small lantern mostly behind a rather large cloak, so that she'd not be seen  
  
easily as she went to where the canister was in that garden. But not so far behind it that she'd not be able  
  
to see exactly where she was going on her way there. This, of course, was for all of the obvious reasons.  
  
Eventually, Raye got to the proper place in the garden now in question here. And she began  
  
looking for all of the necessary items on top of the place where the canister was now buried at least two  
  
feet underground. She soon found them. And when she was sure enough that she'd not be seen or heard  
  
by anyone other than Bridget in that very same place, she then set her lantern on a nearby rock. Not the  
  
exact same one that a shovel was under, as a matter of fact. But still a nearby rock, nevertheless.  
  
She then spotted the shovel that B.B. had earlier hidden for her use. And she removed the blue  
  
ribbon from its handle, of course, before she took it all the way out of its current hiding place under a  
  
nearby rock. She stored that ribbon in one of her cloak's pockets. And then she rather quietly began  
  
digging in the proper place, not too long after putting that ribbon and a small Martian flag in one of her  
  
pockets. It then took her several minutes, at least, to dig down enough to be able to remove that canister  
  
from its current hiding place. But she still did so within fifteen minutes after beginning to dig into the ground  
  
above that canister. Which made her rather happy, of course.  
  
Raye then removed the canister in question from that same hiding place. And she put it inside her  
  
cloak as inconspicuously as she possibly could. Then, after she did so, she put quite a bit of fresh potting  
  
soil to replace the part of the hole that had been taken up by the canister, of course. Then, the next thing  
  
she did was to put the Martian rocks that B.B. had left on the place in question above that canister earlier  
  
in another one of her pockets. After that was done, she then began replacing the remainder of the dirt and  
  
grass upon which those rocks and a small Martian flag had secretly been placed on by her sister earlier.   
  
After which, she then soon stamped that dirt and grass down as securely and as quietly as she could, of  
  
course. She did that here so that the ground under which she'd just dug would hopefully not look like it  
  
had ever been disturbed at all to anyone who didn't look at it closely enough. She also did this as quickly  
  
as she possibly could, for all the obvious reasons, of course. Eventually, she then picked up her nearby  
  
lantern, which was still sitting on a nearby rock. And she soon left the area behind again, of course. While  
  
she left it, she then brought the shovel she'd just used back to the exact same place that her sister had gotten  
  
it from earlier. She was very careful where she went on the palace's grounds, whenever she moved on  
  
them, of course. But she still managed to get the shovel back to that place before she was either seen or  
  
heard moving about the palace's grounds by anyone else. Which was most likely very fortunate for her,  
  
as she might someday find out if another canister came to her while she was still on the Rainbow Springs  
  
side of the Moon. And after she did that, she eventually returned to her own Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
chambers again. Quite naturally, she did that even while being very cautious as she did so, of course. She  
  
got safely back to them without anyone else seeing or hearing her as she did so. And she was at least  
  
sufficiently able to get safely into them without alerting anyone else that she'd sneaked into the Double  
  
Anchor Garden that very night. She finally entered them and bolted her chamber doors closest to the  
  
nearby halls just about ten or so minutes before local midnight.  
  
When she did so, she then went to a secret alcove of sorts elsewhere in her chambers. And she  
  
soon was in the middle of a secret passageway to an underground cavern that Raye had discovered not  
  
long after she'd first come to train at the Rainbow Springs Palace some time before. Of course, as soon  
  
as she got far enough inside that secret passageway, she pulled a large bookcase in that hidden alcove that  
  
normally held a lot of her scrolls and/or musical instruments on its shelves, at least, if not also other things  
  
as well on them, back in front of a large opening at one end of that same secret passageway. She then  
  
reached that underground cavern only a few minutes, at most, before local midnight here. She relit her  
  
lantern, which had extinguished itself when she moved the bookcase from its normal position in front of the  
  
aforementioned passageway. She did it with the brief help of a torch from a nearby sconce on one of the  
  
walls of that passageway. She did that here just before she left the general area behind her alcove's  
  
bookcase again for that underground cavern. She went to that very same cavern, for all of the obvious  
  
reasons, of course.  
  
By the time that she got there, her sister was already there. And she was quite anxiously waiting  
  
to see what was in the canister she'd buried for Raye earlier, if it'd be possible for her to do just that, while  
  
she and Raye were still somewhere underground with each other. Which didn't really surprise Raye all that  
  
much. This was because she now knew that B.B. already knew about that same exact underground cavern  
  
below the grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace.  
  
Bridget had found a secret alcove in her own chambers as well, and a connected secret  
  
passageway that also led to this very cavern, not more than a few hours after she'd first come to the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace several days, at most, before. After which she soon awaited the likely arrival of  
  
her sister and a number of other Princesses that she then knew were also secretly Sailor Scouts of any  
  
currently-known kinds in the Moon Kingdom. She and Raye, though, were not the only Moon Kingdom  
  
Princesses to have such a feature for their own use in the area of the Rainbow Springs Palace. And they  
  
wouldn't be if they weren't the only Moon Kingdom Princesses to be staying at the Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
in the future, of course. Just as they had such things at their periodical disposals, each of their fellow Moon  
  
Kingdom Princesses who were also secretly Sailor Scouts would also have them at their periodical  
  
disposals. And those other Scouts would have such things at their periodic disposals just in case serious  
  
enough trouble ever showed up at all anywhere in the area of Rainbow Springs on the Moon.  
  
Bridget was now hanging nearly upside-down from a large Martian tree when Raye entered that  
  
underground cavern. And she was hanging upside-down at least forty feet above the surrounding floor of  
  
that cavern, if not more. A moderately large pool was positioned below her, or to some degree, if not  
  
entirely, below her. And Bridget had secured herself to that tree with cords at least eight feet long around  
  
her ankles and a rather large branch of that tree. She was periodically swinging herself back and forth  
  
between the nearby walls of that cavern, touching them every so often whenever she wanted to do that,  
  
with her hands. Never too fast, and never too slow, whenever she did so. Just not at the exact same time  
  
that her sister Raye was entering that cavern somewhere below her was she swinging herself between the  
  
nearby walls of it. Raye watched her briefly, once she entered that cavern. And Raye then went to a  
  
seven-foot-long table about six feet away from the nearest part of the pool that was also in that cavern.  
  
Currently, B.B. was hanging upside-down from the tree in question, with her eyes closed. And she  
  
was not moving at all here currently. For she was now planning her next move in the cavern. Her arms  
  
were crossed across her chest rather loosely, but not too loosely, of course. She wasn't asleep, in fact, but  
  
she wasn't paying much attention to anyone at the moment, just because of the fact that she was now  
  
planning her next move in the cavern. She did hear Raye enter the cavern, though. For she'd not tuned  
  
out all the sounds of the cavern that were currently present in it.  
  
As B.B. contemplated her next move in the cavern, Raye kept one eye on her sister periodically,  
  
while she also set the canister in question on the aforementioned table in it. This, of course, was for all the  
  
obvious reasons. With that done here, Raye then set her lantern down near enough to the canister. Though  
  
not too near it, of course.  
  
Then, Raye went into a nearby nook in the underground cavern, so that she could clean herself up  
  
after having done some digging earlier in the Double Anchor Garden on the grounds of the Rainbow  
  
Springs Palace. She'd take a quick shower after getting a clean set of clothes in her size that was on a shelf  
  
with her name on it in that same nook. After she then took her shower in that nook, she'd leave it again  
  
wearing those clothes, of course, as she carried her now-dirty clothes out of it as well. She went into that  
  
nook in the underground cavern. And she didn't exit from it for at least another ten to twenty minutes after  
  
she did so.  
  
As soon as Raye was in the nook now in question here, Bridget eventually began swinging again  
  
in the part of the cavern that she was now in, and she did it with her eyes closed. She also began singing  
  
a song that Raye had recently sung to her after Raye had returned to the Moon after being on Ozotov IV  
  
for quite a while. She listened to the echoes from her singing that were now bouncing off the nearby walls  
  
of the cavern, so that she could judge rather well how close she was at any particular time to any of them,  
  
as she swung upside-down from the tree that she was now hanging from in it.  
  
As long as she swung, she then sang that certain song here, so that she'd not collide unnecessarily  
  
with any of those walls, if she didn't want to do that at all, of course. Whenever she then touched any of  
  
those walls, she then touched them rather gently whenever possible with her hands. But not too gently for  
  
her not to get the desired force when she pushed herself off them with her hands. Eventually, she then  
  
returned to the exact same position that she'd originally been in when Raye had first joined her in that  
  
underground cavern earlier.  
  
Not long after she did so, then, Raye eventually came out of the nook she'd entered a little while  
  
before. When Raye came out of it, B.B. then swung up again, until she was able to grab securely onto the  
  
same branch that she'd just been swinging and hanging from. It took her about a minute or two more for  
  
B.B. to build up enough speed to allow her to grab that branch sufficiently well, in fact. But B.B. still was  
  
able to do it easily enough, just the same. She swung up then, and her now-accumulated momentum  
  
carried her several feet above the branch in question. Then Bridget began doing some very complex  
  
maneuvers above that branch, just before she pushed off the nearest wall with both her feet and both her  
  
hands, and sprang toward the branch in question. A few feet or so later, she then quite readily caught the  
  
branch as she began falling toward the pool below. She caught it easily enough. And then she hung off it  
  
from her hands for a few minutes, at most, before she began swinging again so that she could eventually  
  
bring herself to a sitting position safely enough on that very branch. A few moments later, at most, as her  
  
sister Raye quite excitedly watched, in a very quiet manner, of course, Bridget finally brought herself to such  
  
a position on that branch.  
  
At least five minutes after she was sure that she wouldn't fall off it too easily for at least a while,  
  
Bridget then stretched out her legs. And she then began untying the cords that connected her ankles and  
  
the tree branch to each other. It took her at least a few seconds to do that, of course. But she still did it,  
  
even with her eyes closed here. For she was thinking about how to get down to Raye safely enough, due  
  
to the fact that she'd not be connected by cords to the tree as she did so. Bridget untied the required cords  
  
around the branch and her ankles. And she then hung them both from hooks on the waist of the navy blue  
  
denim jeans that she was currently wearing in the underground cavern. She hung both cords in such a  
  
manner that she wouldn't get her feet or any other part of her tangled up in her as she descended the tree  
  
that she was now on a branch of in that cavern, of course. This she did as Raye began opening the canister  
  
that Queen Serenity had just sent her a little while before, and taking things out of it that she found in it.   
  
Moments later, she began descending the tree in the necessary manner. When she got just above the area  
  
of the pool near the tree, she then prepared to leap from the tree's trunk to the nearby ground just outside  
  
the area of that pool. She did that here so that she'd not have to worry about landing in it and getting too  
  
wet at the current time. She was now about four to six feet above the surrounding ground, as she did that.   
  
She double-checked her planned landing area under the tree, of course, if she didn't check it more than  
  
that, before she then leapt from that tree's trunk. After she did so well enough to suit her, she then leapt  
  
off the trunk, pushing herself off it, and toward a nearby wall. She then briefly touched her hands and feet  
  
to that particular wall. And that made her rise for a few seconds in the air above the surrounding ground.   
  
Or at least long enough for her to do a full forward somersault with two rather quick clockwise twists to  
  
her right, it did so here. She then did that full forward somersault with two rather quick clockwise twists  
  
rather easily. And as she finished them both, she then stretched out her legs in the necessary manner, so  
  
that she'd not hurt herself at all as she then landed, near the table Raye was now spreading the things from  
  
the canister on, rather quickly, yet rather gently, on both her feet. No more than a few seconds after she'd  
  
just finished her full somersault and twists, B.B. finally did land both rather quickly and rather gently on the  
  
ground near the table Raye was now at in the cavern.  
  
When B.B. was sufficiently sure that she'd done that safely enough, and that she'd been able to  
  
adjust to being back on the ground easily enough, she then asked, "Raye, how did you like my latest  
  
maneuvers that you saw from me here in this cavern?"  
  
"Bridget, you're amazing!"  
  
"No, I don't really think so, Raye. For I've done this kind of stuff plenty of times before."  
  
"Then why haven't I seen it more than I have?"  
  
"Because, dear sister, where have you spent most of at least the last nine or so years, if not longer,  
  
in your own life?"  
  
"On the Moon, Bridget, with Serena and at least three to five other Princesses from our very own  
  
Moon Kingdom, as well as several other people we've all met before on it."  
  
"There's your answer, then, Raye."  
  
"Are you saying that just because I've not often been back to Mars, Phobos, and/or Deimos in my  
  
life since I first came here to the Moon around Serena's first birthday, I've not often seen you do this kind  
  
of stuff before, Bridget?"  
  
"You might say that. Weren't you on the Moon when I was born?"  
  
"Come to think of it, I think I was. It'd have been almost seven months after my second birthday  
  
when you were born, I believe. And if I'm not mistaken, about that time, I was either in residence at the  
  
Crystal Palace, or at the Imperial Palace. Which, as you now know, are both on the Moon City side of  
  
the Moon. I believe that I was often there with at least a few other people, in fact. Which, of course,  
  
would, at that particular time in my life, have likely included Serena, Amy, Lita, Mina, Luna, Artemis,  
  
Queen Serenity, Prince Daniel, and any number of Queen Serenity's own servants, at least. If not also  
  
anyone else who was currently in residence at the palace we were currently staying in then, of course. I  
  
believe when you were born, Prince Darien was also in current residence in that particular palace, visiting  
  
a number of us Princesses there for a while. I actually didn't know you'd even been born until Queen  
  
Serenity and Prince Daniel gave me a canister from Mom and Dad that they'd sent to me here on the  
  
Moon. I only knew that they were expecting another child, from the last canister I'd received before Queen  
  
Serenity and Prince Daniel gave me the canister with another message in it that told me that I now had a  
  
new baby sister. A new baby sister named Bridget Blossom Hino, as a matter of fact."  
  
"And after I was born, you didn't see me in person until you came back to the Martian mini-system  
  
in mid-July of 980, I think."  
  
"Yes, that sounds about right, Bridget. You'd have been about twenty months or so old, give or  
  
take a few weeks or days, at most, when I first saw you in person. I wish I could have been around when  
  
you were born, though, Bridget. For I think it would've really been nice to see you being born."  
  
"It just wasn't possible then, Raye. Mom and Dad wanted you to be on the Moon for quite a while,  
  
if at all possible, Raye. As a matter of fact, until Mother learned that she was carrying me, she thought God  
  
would only give her one child during her child-bearing years. Meaning you, of course, Raye. I was at least  
  
a little bit unexpected, though. But she soon took to me, as soon as she learned that you likely wouldn't  
  
be her only daughter. So did Dad. I was a rather healthy and rather cute baby when I was born, from  
  
what I've learned about that time in my life. I had the pinkest cheeks that Mom thought she'd ever seen  
  
on a newborn baby. And she thought they looked like the fruit of the Rytheriopia Platoznia kind of Martian  
  
roses. Which Terrans might possibly consider to be blossoms, if I'm not mistaken. So that is why I have  
  
the middle name of Blossom. Bridget in my name came from our Mom's paternal grandmother, who  
  
actually suggested it to Mom while she was still carrying me about two weeks before I was born."  
  
"So that's why you have the names you do, Bridget. I didn't realize why you'd been given those  
  
names before. I was always wondering why you were given those names. I hadn't heard the story that you  
  
just told me. Sure, I knew that you were given those names, of course. But I never understood why until  
  
just now."  
  
"I see. Did you know that Mom's paternal grandmother also predicted that we'd both be Sailor  
  
Scouts before each of our births?"  
  
"No, I didn't know that. Who told you that?"  
  
"Mom, just before I came here while you were still away from the Moon on your latest rather  
  
unexpected adventure. She told me that. And she told me that she was very proud of us both in her life.   
  
She doesn't really expect to see either of us again, though, in either of our lives here on the Moon. She says  
  
periodically to me, at least, that she'll never likely leave our mini-system again. She realizes that if the  
  
predictions about the future that several people in our Moon Kingdom have been making for at least the  
  
last few years are accurate enough, she probably will never see either or both of us again. Or at least not  
  
while the Moon Kingdom still exists. She doesn't like that, of course. But she realizes that might very well  
  
prove to be the case for all of us, if the Negaversers are just too strong for us to save the Moon Kingdom  
  
and for us all to survive easily enough."  
  
Then Raye considered what Bridget had just said to her, for a little while, before she said, "To tell  
  
you the truth, I'll likely never get back to Mars, Phobos, and/or Deimos before that happens, if it ever does,  
  
I think. If so, then I'll most likely really miss being on our worlds in that mini-system, if and when it does.   
  
Most especially, I'll miss being on Mars again, if that's the case here for me, at least, of course, Bridget."  
  
"I think none of us who are Princesses in Serena's royal Court are ever going to be able to return  
  
to our respective worlds. Or at least not while we're all trying to prepare ourselves, as much as we each  
  
can possibly prepare ourselves, for the increasingly likely invasion by the Negaversers, Raye. Or at least  
  
those of us who aren't from either the Moon or Terra in our own solar system here in the Milky Way  
  
Galaxy of the known Universe, I believe. Darien and his fellow Earthlings might be able to do so. But  
  
those of us who aren't actually from the Moon might not be able to do so, if I'm not too mistaken here.   
  
And if the various predictions that have previously been made about our own Moon Kingdom are  
  
sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, Raye."  
  
"I've often been thinking much the same thing, Bridget. That's why I've done at least one piece of  
  
music on the 'Memory of Mars' scroll that I told you about earlier. Hopefully, if worst comes to worst for  
  
our Moon Kingdom eventually, all our things will somehow survive our transfer or transfers to Earth."  
  
"And if they do in such a case at least one time, if not more, you're hoping that you'll be able to play  
  
any of the pieces of music that you've already composed in your life here in the Moon Kingdom again, at  
  
least once more for each of them, if at all possible, in the future?"  
  
"Correct. Now I don't know if that'll ever be possible, of course. But if it is, great. I may be  
  
unable to play them again, for any reason whatsoever, Bridget, in the future. Supposing, of course, that  
  
I at least survive somehow to live at least once in the future somewhere on Earth, if nowhere else in the  
  
known Universe. I could end up being copied, in a manner of speaking, in fact. As could any of the rest  
  
of us who Queen Serenity might somehow be able to save in the future, of course."  
  
"And what do you think of that possibility?"  
  
"It might be weird to meet myself at least once, if such a thing as my getting copied somehow  
  
actually happens to me while I'm heading to Terra to live on it in the future. And if I'm ever somehow able  
  
to do that at least once sometime later on at all. I'd probably be willing to bet, supposing, of course,  
  
someone first challenged me sufficiently enough for me to do so, that any of the other Princesses would feel  
  
much, if not entirely, the same way. That's if and/or when the exact same thing actually happened to them  
  
at least once in the future, if and when they also made it off the Moon somehow because of Queen Serenity,  
  
of course."  
  
Then, as Raye said that, she also removed a scroll from the canister on the table. Raye moved a  
  
few things on that table to one side or another on it. She did that here, in fact, just so that she'd then have  
  
enough room to spread that scroll out enough for her to read Chad's recent message to her from the other  
  
side of the Moon. As she spread it out, she then had Bridget place paperweights on top of it wherever  
  
necessary. And to do that here so that it actually wouldn't roll itself back up prematurely before Raye had  
  
finished reading all of Chad's recent message to her here.  
  
Raye soon read, as Bridget periodically made sure that Raye's lantern wouldn't go out while she  
  
was reading the message from Chad to her:  
  
"Raye, I really don't know where you are right now. But I'd really like to see you again  
  
around Christmas, if that's all right with you, and if it's at all possible. I have some news from Mars that  
  
I think you might be interested in, Raye. And I've also been wondering if and when we'll be able to dance  
  
together again someday at another ball here in the Moon Kingdom. I've also been thinking of you quite  
  
a bit of late. And I'm wondering if you've been doing the same thing too, in terms of thinking about me.   
  
Yes, I know that we're both just kids still, and I'm about a year or two older than you, if I'm not too  
  
mistaken here. But I'm still really wondering if you've ever considered me as a potential future mate for you  
  
someday, if at all possible, in fact.  
  
"For some reason, I seem to see you quite often in my recent dreams and/or visions. And  
  
I really don't know why. Could it be that we'll eventually leave the Moon Kingdom, as a number of other  
  
people in the Moon Kingdom are evidently suggesting now, just as a lot of those people have been doing  
  
for at least a few years? I don't really know how we'd ever leave this Moon Kingdom of ours, Raye. And  
  
why we'd be seeing each other again at least once more, if we did so. I started experiencing at least a few  
  
dreams and/or visions just before you disappeared from the Moon City area at least a while ago, and I'm  
  
still experiencing them periodically. I don't know why. But from what I can understand of them, it seems  
  
that if they're sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, we in the Moon Kingdom could be in very  
  
serious, if not very grave, danger from at least one other place elsewhere in the known Universe. Can you  
  
tell me if you're having such things happen to you too, Raye? And can you tell me where you went off to  
  
all of a sudden with Serena and a number of other people from all over the Moon Kingdom, and why? I'd  
  
really like to know. I've asked Queen Serenity where you are now, and where all your fellow Princesses  
  
that I haven't seen for a while as well are now. But she keeps giving me rather evasive answers. I can't  
  
really understand why that's the case, right here and right now. For isn't she supposed to tell the truth as  
  
often as possible in her life?  
  
"Yes, I realize that she does have to keep some things very secret, due to her position as Queen  
  
of our Moon Kingdom, of course. But she still won't tell me where you girls are, if she even knows where  
  
you all are right now. I wonder if she even knows where you all are right now. I think she does. But if  
  
so, I don't really understand why she won't tell me where you all are right now. I've heard several rumors  
  
of late that you Princesses are secretly working for people that are jealous of the Moon Kingdom and its  
  
many inhabited worlds and moons, at the very least, and who'd want to see it fall apart. I really don't  
  
believe them, Raye. You girls all really do care for the Moon Kingdom, I know. And I can't possibly  
  
believe that you Princesses would want to see it fall apart at all. I don't really know how much longer,  
  
though, that I'll be able to say that. For various people have suggested to me, at least, that you Princesses  
  
aren't really who you all say you are. Both in the Martian mini-system and out of it. I really do hope that  
  
all those people who've actually suggested such things to me here, though, are entirely wrong about you  
  
all, of course, Raye."  
  
The message to her continued for quite a while longer, until he finally signed it:  
  
"Your dear friend, Chad of Fireball on Mars." There was nothing more after that to the message,  
  
after which Raye then rolled up the scroll again all the way, of course.  
  
Then Bridget asked Raye, "Are you going to tell him what's actually going on for each of us, and  
  
where we all are right now, Raye?"  
  
"No, I don't think so, my dear sister Bridget Blossom Hino. And even if I really wanted to do that  
  
here, Queen Serenity probably wouldn't want me to, for all the obvious reasons, of course, Bridget. Don't  
  
get me wrong, I like him at least a little. And I don't think I'd mind ever winding up with him someday, if  
  
that's how things actually do work out for the both of us here. Meaning him and me, obviously enough,  
  
Bridget. But I really don't think I like him enough yet to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, as the Terrans  
  
might actually say here. That's if I were to tell him about where we've all been of late, and what we've been  
  
doing since the last time he saw any or all of us in person, of course."  
  
"But you'd rather be with Darien right now more, if at all possible."  
  
"I suppose so. Even though I know he's not a Martian, I think so, Bridget, at least a little bit, if not  
  
a whole lot, in my own life."  
  
"Unlike Chad, who we know is actually from Mars, and who is probably quite a bit louder than  
  
Darien likely is in his own life."  
  
"Yes. Darien normally prefers quiet places whenever possible. And he's not apparently much for  
  
a lot of loud music or noise, I believe, from my past observations about him, whenever I've been with him  
  
here on the Moon at all. Chad, though, is a lot like me, in that we both often like a lot of loud things  
  
whenever we can have them in our lives. Or at least, I believe that's true about both of us quite a bit of the  
  
time. I may nag him, of course. But I still think that we both consider each other to be among our friends,  
  
or our closest friends, if I'm not too mistaken about that here. Sure, we may yell rather often at each other.   
  
But we're both rather loyal to our friends, whoever they may be, in each of our lives, Bridget."  
  
"So who do you think you'll eventually end up with, if you ever do get married to some guy  
  
someday in the future?"  
  
"Probably Chad, though I'd prefer to wind up with Darien, of course. Serena will likely end up with  
  
Darien, Amy with Greg, Lita with Ken, and Mina with Steven or someone else who I may not yet know  
  
of in her life. At least, that's what I'm suspecting might happen in the future, if we ever do end up on Earth  
  
at least once, if not more. I still don't know if you other Princesses will end up on Earth at least once  
  
apiece, of course. And if you do, who each of you will end up with in your lives, if at all possible."  
  
Bridget and Raye talked some more for at least another fifteen or so minutes, before Bridget finally  
  
said, "Raye, I think we should both get back to our respective chambers in the palace as quickly as we can,  
  
so that we can hopefully get at least a bit of sleep before we'll have to train again after local dawn."  
  
"Agreed, Bridget."  
  
So both of them each gathered up all the things they'd just brought with them to the cavern. And  
  
they soon parted from each other, in order for them both to return to their respective chambers in the  
  
palace for at least a little while. They didn't really want to, of course. But they realized that if they didn't,  
  
they'd both probably not be able to do as well as they might prefer to do in their next training sessions. Or  
  
at least until they got enough sleep to allow them to do that easily enough in their respective lives, anyway.   
  
So they soon left the cavern for their own chambers. And both retired no more than about five minutes or  
  
so after they each returned to them some time later.  
  
And then they soon slept rather soundly in each of their beds for at least a while, as they rested  
  
themselves as much as they possibly could, and as they had at least one pleasant dream apiece, in those  
  
beds of theirs in their respective chambers. They didn't rise from their respective beds until at least local  
  
dawn, if not even later than that. And they only rose when they began hearing either knocks on the door  
  
or doors to their own chambers. Or when they both began hearing at least a few bells ringing in the halls  
  
near their own chambers, in the Rainbow Springs Palace. For they'd both stayed up at least a little bit past  
  
their usual bedtimes while they were on the opposite side of the Moon from Moon City, which was on the  
  
side of the Moon that often, if not all the time, faced the Earth.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first eight chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	9. Chapter Nine

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Serena's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 19, 986 - November 20, 986  
  
Meanwhile, while Raye was otherwise occupied with getting ready to retrieve the canister that  
  
Bridget had told her about earlier, Serena was mainly killing at least a little, if not a lot of, time until her  
  
planned meeting with her twin sisters Destiny and Bethany a while before local midnight.  
  
She mainly killed it after returning to her Rainbow Springs Palace chambers by either reading or  
  
napping for a while, as she saw fit to do, in them. Mostly by doing some reading in them, if she didn't do  
  
anything else in them. And when she did some reading in her chambers, she mainly read some scrolls that  
  
she'd brought to the other side of the Moon when she'd first come to the Rainbow Springs Palace some  
  
time before, on her tenth birthday. At least one, if not more than one, of those scrolls concerned certain  
  
predictions about at least the last few years of the Moon Kingdom's Silver Millennium. Most of which had  
  
possibly been made either before the Silver Millennium's beginning or within the first fifty or so years of it,  
  
in fact. A good number of those predictions had to deal with the Princess that'd most likely be the Moon  
  
Princess near the end of the Silver Millennium, if not at the exact end of it. Of course, now the Princess  
  
in question that they were most likely referring to was Serena, for the obvious reasons.  
  
One of the predictions that they had made about that time in the Moon Kingdom was that the  
  
Moon Princess of that time would probably fall in love with a young man from the Earth. Or at least that  
  
she would often call him "Honey" in her life on the Moon. And Serena had already been doing that for  
  
quite some time indeed in it, as was now often quite obvious. So that prediction had been proved to be  
  
accurate enough to anyone who knew sufficiently well of it from earlier reading the scroll currently in  
  
question, or reading any number of copies of it, sometime after Serena's own birth on the Moon City side  
  
of the Moon.  
  
She read several predictions about the last few years of the Silver Millennium. And a large  
  
percentage of the ones that she did read concerned her, at least, if not also any other people that she  
  
already knew, or would later know, well enough in her life. And she was reading at least one scroll with  
  
such predictions on it when she eventually heard a few quick knocks on her door. Just as she'd been  
  
advised to expect by her sisters earlier in that very day, sometime between the times at which they'd eaten  
  
their lunches and their suppers, in fact.  
  
As soon as she heard those knocks on her door about twenty or so minutes before local midnight,  
  
she then said, "Be right there, girls. Please give me a few minutes to take care of my things. And then I'll  
  
let you in here, so that I can talk to you."  
  
"Five minutes, Serena, and no more. For Lita is, or was, beginning to have some suspicions that  
  
you were wanting to meet with us for no really good reason, in fact. And do that just so that you could  
  
somehow get out of training here for a while, and also somehow sneak back to the other side of the Moon  
  
without taking any other people there with you, at the same time," said Destiny.  
  
So Serena, for once, didn't waste any unnecessary time taking care of her things that were out in  
  
plain view. And she hid them all rather in a hidden alcove elsewhere in her chambers, on at least one or  
  
two of the shelves of a large bookcase. And she hid them in such a manner that if anyone else was in that  
  
alcove, they'd most likely think that the scrolls were just ornaments of some sort on the shelves of that  
  
bookcase, of course. That done, she quite soon left her hidden alcove again. And she let her sisters in just  
  
before they'd have left the area of her chambers again for their own ones elsewhere in the palace.  
  
Of course, when she did so, she then quite securely bolted the door of her chambers behind her  
  
and her twin sisters. That was so that they'd most likely not be disturbed at all while they were alone with  
  
each other in her chambers, in fact. Then, when she was sufficiently sure that she'd done so well enough,  
  
she soon said, "I've learned from God and others in my life, and in your lives as well, that if enough things  
  
go according to plan for us all here, that the three of us will eventually be the older sisters of five babies.   
  
Now I really don't know yet exactly how many of them will be sisters to us, and how many will be brothers  
  
to us. But if things go well enough for them, Mom, Dad, and the three of us, at the very least, I think Mom  
  
will eventually be Shooting the Comet before too much longer in each of our lives." Of course, as she was  
  
speaking the words aloud for Destiny's benefit, she was also signing them for Bethany's benefit, for all the  
  
obvious reasons.  
  
"Five babies, Serena? Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I am, Bethany. If all goes sufficiently according to plan for everyone concerned, we should  
  
be the sisters of quintuplets, most likely by the end of next April. We are not to reveal this to any of the  
  
other Princesses, if at all possible, until further notice, or until they arrive in this very own Universe of ours.   
  
Most especially me, of course. And you both know how hard it often is for me to keep things secret when  
  
others ask me to do so. Not very easy at all, is it?"  
  
"I suppose you're right, Serena," said Destiny. "But must we really keep this all secret, at least until  
  
one of those things happen, if at all possible? I believe I can do that, and I'm reasonably sure that Bethany  
  
can too. But can you, Serena?"  
  
"I really don't know, Destiny. But I really don't want to take the chance that our enemies might be  
  
able to learn it from me, if at all possible. For I sure don't want to see the Silver Millennium and the history  
  
of our dear Moon Kingdom end, if I can possibly avoid it at all, Destiny. Even though I'll possibly be  
  
asleep when it happens, I really don't want to see those things happen if I don't have to, and if I can  
  
possibly avoid doing so."  
  
"Asleep, like in dead?"  
  
"Quite possibly, Destiny. And I think Prince Darien will be just like that too, if I'm not too mistaken  
  
here. I really care for him very much. And I'd do almost anything to be with him, if worst comes to worst  
  
for us here in the Moon Kingdom. I'm reasonably certain by doing so, both of us will get blasted, if we  
  
haven't already been blasted, by the leader of our enemies. Mom won't let our futures be lost, then, if she  
  
can possibly avoid it. And then she'll save as many of us as possible, if she can't possibly save all of us.   
  
I hope that the both of you are sufficiently near the Imperial Palace, if and when the Negaversers actually  
  
do come to the Moon in order to possibly conquer or to possibly destroy us. I was reading some scrolls  
  
just before I let you in here. And at least one of them had various predictions about the last few years of  
  
the Silver Millennium. They predicted that our enemies would come against what was left of our military  
  
defenses in the Moon City area during a ball in it. Yes, a ball, you two. And they'd come when we'd most  
  
likely least expect it, instead of at least a month or two later. This ball would be held in the Imperial  
  
Palace's main ballroom, I think. And our enemies would cause our defenses to crumble quite easily, after  
  
at least a year of constant or near-constant war between them and us. Dad will not be there, because he'll  
  
already be lost some distance away from the Moon, if several of those predictions prove to be accurate  
  
enough in their respective natures later on, I believe, you two. I think that if you girls are anywhere within  
  
no more than ten miles or so of the Imperial Palace, Mom may somehow be able to save you. Though I  
  
could be wrong, of course. You may have to be quite a bit closer to it for her to save you, though. I'm not  
  
totally sure yet. And I may not know for sure at least until the morning of the day they'll probably come,  
  
if at all."  
  
"Serena, if we don't all make it safely enough off, and you survive, will you remember those of us  
  
that don't?"  
  
"I really hope so, Bethany. You can believe me about that, at least, girls. But if either or both of  
  
you actually are lost, I'll certainly do whatever I can to make our enemies who are responsible for your loss  
  
pay for causing me to lose either or both of you, for as long as I possibly can, of course. The same thing  
  
is true for anyone else who I ever cared for enough in my life, and who's lost because of them, at all. The  
  
forces of Evil will all eventually pay for all the wicked things they've done already, the wicked things they're  
  
now doing, and the wicked things that they'll be doing at least until they can no longer do them at all."  
  
Then Destiny and Bethany talked about as many other things with Serena as they possibly could   
  
talk about here. And they all talked about whatever then came to their minds or Serena's for at least a  
  
while longer, if not at least two hours past local midnight in the Rainbow Springs area of the Moon, as they  
  
did so here. When the three of them were eventually too bored with doing so here currently, Destiny and  
  
Bethany then soon said their farewells to Serena again. They both did that here with her, just so that they  
  
could then get to their chambers, and so they all would hopefully get at least a little sleep before local dawn  
  
would arrive in the Rainbow Springs area of the Moon again, of course. Serena then let her twin sisters  
  
leave her chambers, after they were again connected to each other with the required cord, so that they  
  
could also retire for what was left of that night, of course. After doing so, she then didn't take too much  
  
more time getting herself ready for bed and retiring to it herself. And not more than ten minutes after her  
  
sisters had left her alone again in her chambers, she was rather soundly asleep in her bedroom there. She  
  
then slept at least until local dawn arrived. And until the first glimmers of light began entering her chambers  
  
through her windows in them, as well, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first nine chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	10. Chapter Ten

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Sylvia's Chambers In Wakefield Castle  
  
Jerusalem, Israel, Earth  
  
November 23, 986  
  
Meanwhile, while several Princesses often were otherwise occupied with their secret training as  
  
Sailor Scouts on the Moon, back on Earth, particularly in the area of Jerusalem, Israel, Sylvia Lucille  
  
Wakefield was with her younger siblings Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses in her chambers just a few minutes  
  
before 2:30 local time on the morning of November 23, 986. Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses hadn't been  
  
able to sleep well enough in their chambers during the current night. For a sudden thunderstorm that was  
  
now heading to the east had just begun to rage in the Jerusalem area. So they all came to Sylvia's  
  
chambers to be with her, hoping that she might be able to settle them down at least a little bit, if not a lot.   
  
They were all currently sitting on her bed. While she sat on a chair just in front of them all, at the same time,  
  
in fact.  
  
She was talking to them all for at least a little while here, when a rather strong wind suddenly blew  
  
open one of her windows. When it did so, in came a message canister that she'd not actually expected to  
  
receive from anyone else so soon after she'd gotten one not long before from Queen Serenity. Rebecca,  
  
who was also often called "Becky" or "Becca," then said, "I see something just came through your window  
  
here, Sylvia."  
  
"I see that, Rebecca. Please take Martha, Ulysses, and yourself into my bathroom until I say  
  
otherwise. Just in case at least one more thing comes unexpectedly through my window again, I don't want  
  
to take the chance that any of you will get hit by it or them, if I really don't have to do that, Rebecca. I  
  
happen to know that thing that just came through my window is for me. And if I can, I'll explain later how  
  
I know that. No questions right now, from any of you, please. Please do as I say, though."  
  
So, rather reluctantly, Rebecca did as Sylvia had just told her to do with their siblings. And she  
  
took them all into Sylvia's bathroom as she'd been told to do by Sylvia moments before, in fact. As soon  
  
as Rebecca did so, Sylvia then briefly looked out her window, so that she could see if any other things were  
  
heading right for her Wakefield Castle chambers. She saw two other message canisters heading directly  
  
for the exact same window. And they were both heading toward it from different directions as they both  
  
lined themselves up for their runs to her chambers in that castle. Both of those canisters were making  
  
gradual arcs toward her now-open window, as one came in primarily from the northwest, and the other  
  
came in primarily from the east. The one that'd just entered her chambers had come into it mainly from the  
  
north, after having passed over a good portion of the castle mainly from the southwest. That window was  
  
in the northern wall of her chambers. Her chambers were placed near the northeastern corner of the castle,  
  
if not in it, and in an upper level of it. Even though rain was now beginning to enter her chambers, due to  
  
the fact that she'd not yet closed the window in question, she left it open, so that it wouldn't blow open  
  
again for at least a little while. She waited at least a few moments or so more to close that window. For  
  
those canisters still had to enter her chambers, obviously enough. As soon as they were all in it, then, and  
  
she was sufficiently sure that nothing else was heading her way from elsewhere in the area or elsewhere on  
  
Earth, she quickly closed and blocked her window as much as she could do so here. She did that here so  
  
that it hopefully wouldn't blow open again for at least a little while, of course.  
  
Then she picked up all the message canisters from where they'd each landed on her floor here.   
  
And she brought each of them to the nearest table. With that done here, she then lit an unlit lantern with  
  
the help of a torch from a somewhat random sconce somewhere in the nearby hall, blowing out a few other  
  
lanterns in her chambers just before she did so. Then she closed and quite securely bolted her door again  
  
here. For she really didn't want to be disturbed needlessly by anyone else, if it could possibly be avoided  
  
by her at all, in fact. Then she set the lantern in question on that table. With that done as well, she then  
  
began opening each of the message canisters that'd just entered her own Wakefield Castle chambers,  
  
starting with the first one.  
  
The first one was from Queen Serenity. In it, there was a scroll with a short message from Queen  
  
Serenity. That scroll said to Sylvia, "Sylvia, a Moon Kingdom satellite will be about halfway between your  
  
likely location and that of Prince Darien's likely location at about 3:10 am your time on November 23, 986.  
  
You'll need to be in your chambers and in your Sailor Scout state by 3:05 am your time on that same day.   
  
If your siblings ask where Sylvia went, say that she remembered that she had something to do that she'd  
  
forgotten to do earlier. Tell them that you are a friend of Sylvia's. And to prove it, show the painting that  
  
Michelle painted of you in both your states of being, just before you left us a while ago. Tell them that  
  
Sylvia will hopefully be back from wherever she went as soon as she can be back from there, God willing,  
  
of course, while you're in your Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Skyhorse. Tell them that you'll  
  
need to bring them all somewhere rather distant. And that you'll be bringing them to friends of Sylvia's for  
  
at least a little while. Don't tell them exactly where, at least not yet. Don't say more to them than that,  
  
except to say that their sister Sylvia trusts you and your friends to take care of them while she's away from  
  
Wakefield Castle. When that satellite is almost in the necessary location above Earth, you'll hear three  
  
short beeps from your locket. Within three minutes or so after you hear the last beep, you'll then have to  
  
say the words, 'Junior Sailor Skyhorse, Sailor and Sibling Teleport,' if you want your siblings to accompany  
  
you as you leave the Jerusalem area of Earth again. If you don't, then you must leave the sibling-related  
  
part of that phrase out, of course. You'll all be met by Prince Darien at the Kyoto Area Spaceport by  
  
10:30 am local time there the same day. You're all to wait there until Prince Rolando joins you within the  
  
next two hours after 10:30 am local time, at most. He'll arrive there in the same manner that all four of you  
  
Wakefields did earlier. When he eventually shows up somewhere within about five to ten feet of where  
  
you Wakefields are with Darien, there, you'll then have to say, Sylvia, within five minutes after he does so,  
  
'Junior Sailor Skyhorse, Titanic World Transfer Access, now! Authorization, Junior Sailor Scout Skyhorse  
  
Sigma-628-44-972!' That should allow you and all five of your current companions to show up here on  
  
the Moon, if you say it before 12:30 pm Kyoto time, I think. That authorization code will bring you to the  
  
Moon, and bring you to a certain location on it within no more than a few minutes after you say it. I'll be  
  
in the Crystal Chalice Garden on the Crystal Palace's grounds in Moon City, when you get here to the  
  
Moon. I'll be near the bench where Serena found you talking with Darien and Rolando the day you  
  
became the Sailor Scout Junior Sailor Skyhorse. Prince Daniel will be with me. And after you all get here,  
  
then I'll tell you more later about why I needed to see you very soon. You'll also need to tell your siblings  
  
to follow Princes Daniel, Darien, and Rolando wherever they may lead them, after you all get here. After  
  
the two of us are then alone again, I'll want to talk to you for at least a little while, Sylvia."  
  
Serenity had said only a few things more, before she'd signed that message to Sylvia. Then Sylvia  
  
rolled up the scroll that Serenity had most recently sent her. She then went to one of her closets. And she  
  
found a large sack there. Then she began taking certain things from shelves and hangers in that closet. And  
  
she placed those things as carefully and as quickly as she could in that sack. By the time that she did so,  
  
the sack was about a third full, at most. She then brought that sack back over to the table on which Queen  
  
Serenity's canister was still sitting. She checked to see if Queen Serenity had sent her anything else. And  
  
Queen Serenity had actually done so, in fact. She'd sent four roses to Sylvia, two of which were pink, one  
  
red, and one white. The white one was for Ulysses, the pink ones for Rebecca and Martha, and the red  
  
one for Sylvia. Princes Darien and Rolando would also be wearing red roses. For they were currently  
  
citizens-by-choice of the Moon Kingdom, just as Sylvia now was in her own life. Unlike all three of her  
  
siblings, of course. The Moon Kingdom satellite that'd bring them first to Kyoto, Japan, on Earth, and then  
  
to Moon City on the Moon, would then lock onto the positions of those roses. And hopefully the presence  
  
of the aforementioned roses would then make it possible somehow for Sylvia, Darien, and Rolando to  
  
travel rather quickly to the Moon with Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses, of course. That was once Sylvia  
  
said the necessary phrase as Junior Sailor Skyhorse, after the six of them were all together again at the  
  
Kyoto Area Spaceport sufficiently well, quite naturally enough, in fact.  
  
Sylvia quickly opened the other two canisters she'd just received from elsewhere on Earth. And  
  
both of them also had messages for her in them. She read them both very quickly. For they were both  
  
rather short, before she put them into her sack too. She put in a few more roses from both canisters,  
  
among other things that were also in those canisters, in her sack. She put other things from both canisters  
  
in her sack as well, until she no longer wanted to do that at all.  
  
Most, if not all, of the things she didn't put in her sack, she then took to a secret underground  
  
cavern by using a secret passageway buried deep inside the rather thick walls of Wakefield Castle that ran  
  
between a hidden alcove in her chambers and that secret underground cavern. She, of course, wasted no  
  
unnecessary time in taking most, if not all, of the things that she didn't put in her sack to that underground  
  
cavern by using a cart near one end of that secret passageway to get to the other. It took her not more than  
  
two minutes to make one round-trip with those things. And not more than ten minutes in all to make all the  
  
necessary trips to that secret underground cavern at least 200 feet below Wakefield Castle, and at least  
  
400 feet to the east of its outermost eastern walls. Which, of course, meant that she'd have had to have  
  
been traveling quite fast to get between that alcove and that cavern so quickly during each trip. How fast  
  
she was going during each of those trips between those locations, she didn't really know at those times, nor  
  
did she really care at all. For she knew that before too much longer, she'd have to get into her Sailor Scout  
  
state of being, for all the obvious reasons, of course. All she really cared about was being ready to leave  
  
the Jerusalem area when she had to leave it, with or without her siblings accompanying her out of it. And  
  
doing so before anyone else found out that she'd vanished from the area too quickly who didn't need to find  
  
it out for at least a while. After making her last trip back to her hidden alcove from the secret underground  
  
cavern, she then quite quickly placed the things hiding the secret passageway between her alcove and that  
  
cavern back where she'd put them when she'd accessed that passageway some time before, if she'd moved  
  
them at all. Then she hid her alcove again by sliding a wall back in front of it again. She did that in the  
  
hopes that nobody else would likely be able to find it before it was too late to keep her from eventually  
  
going to the Moon with her siblings, if they were even able to find it at all.  
  
That done, she left a short note on one of her tables suggesting that she had gone off to visit  
  
someone that was from somewhere in the area of Bethlehem. But she didn't identify that particular person  
  
by name. For she really didn't want anyone to suspect that her note was faked at all, if it could be avoided  
  
at all by her. She just basically said that she was going to visit someone there who she knew needed help  
  
with certain farm animals. And that she was going there on foot. She said that she actually didn't know  
  
if and whenever she'd ever be able to return to Wakefield Castle. And she said that someone in the area  
  
of Bethlehem really needed her help at the current time. She said that she likely had enough provisions to  
  
last her at least long enough to get to the Bethlehem area on foot. She said that she expected to be there  
  
within one week, if not sooner than that, God willing. She said that she couldn't actually be any more  
  
definite than that about her coming journey. Or at least she couldn't be more definite about it at the current  
  
time. Then she signed the note, and weighted it down with at least one paperweight of hers. She did that  
  
here so that if anyone else eventually came into her chambers anytime after she'd left them, they'd see it  
  
easily enough.  
  
That done, she quickly finished filling her sack with the necessary items, if she'd not already done  
  
so, before she tied it off with a long enough rope, of course. She then set that sack on her bed, after  
  
opening another window in the northern wall of her chambers, once she'd seen that the thunderstorm that'd  
  
brought her siblings to see her in them was sufficiently over. That done, she then rather hurriedly made a  
  
rope from a number of her cleanest and darkest blankets here. She soon tied that same rope to a nearby  
  
trellis that was to one side of that window, once she tied yet another sack on the belt of the robe she was  
  
now wearing. Inside that sack, she then placed all three of the canisters she'd most recently received from  
  
Darien, Serenity, and Rolando. She then climbed out that window here. And she swung to the trellis.   
  
After which she then descended to the ground by using that blanket-made rope behind an enormous  
  
rosebush with hundreds, if not thousands, of roses on it. There was a vertical tunnel of sorts between the  
  
top of that trellis and the ground. And she then descended on the rope made with blankets foot by foot,  
  
very carefully indeed. She did this here so that her feet hopefully wouldn't actually step falsely as she kept  
  
track of how far she'd descended on that rope by stepping on the necessary sections of that trellis. All  
  
those sections of the trellis here were also quite securely fastened to the wall of the castle, for all the obvious  
  
reasons, of course. Just as they'd been ever since shortly after the rosebush that she was now being hidden  
  
from view behind had been planted in its current location at least five centuries earlier. She then made it  
  
safely enough down to the ground just about fifteen to twenty minutes before three o'clock local time on  
  
the morning of November 23, 986. Then she soon moved a moderately-sized boulder that couldn't  
  
normally be seen from above until someone actually got within two feet of its top to one side. And she did  
  
that here so that she could then access a rather secret tunnel that was both behind, and below, the rather  
  
enormous rosebush under her very own Wakefield Castle chambers.  
  
After she remembered exactly how to do so, accessing that tunnel took only a few more seconds,  
  
at most. And then she was below ground within another minute. Five to ten seconds more, and she then  
  
reached the bottom of the tunnel, landing on her feet with quite a bit of ease, considering the fact that she  
  
was currently carrying a sack with three canisters in it on her belt. She soon palmed a nearby wall. And  
  
a small opening appeared in it as a torch on the wall near where she'd just palmed it flickered to life. Then  
  
she reached into her sack, and hastily grabbed each of the canisters in it up one at a time, just before she  
  
placed them all in that opening. That done, she then palmed the wall again where she just had. And then  
  
the torch that'd just flickered to life on the wall extinguished itself just as quickly as it'd flickered to life a few  
  
moments or so before. When it did, the opening that she'd just placed the canisters in disappeared seconds  
  
later. That then left her alone in the darkness where she now stood in the tunnel she'd just accessed  
  
moments before again, of course.  
  
She then transformed herself into Junior Sailor Skyhorse as quickly as she could, before she went  
  
to where she'd landed originally in her current tunnel. That done, she then said, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse,  
  
Eagle Wings Power On!" Two large wings of eagles' feathers appeared on the back of her Sailor Scout  
  
uniform, but not on her actual physical back. And four smaller wings appeared on the back of her current  
  
footwear, which was actually a pair of moccasins. Not the exact same ones that she'd ended up with when  
  
she'd first transformed herself into Junior Sailor Skyhorse, as a matter of fact. But ones that were  
  
somewhat similar to them, nevertheless. These moccasins that she was now wearing on her were of  
  
doeskin dyed four different colors by her when she'd made them for herself as Sylvia Lucille Wakefield.   
  
They had no rabbit fur or turtledove feathers on them. But they were made of doeskin that had been dyed  
  
crimson, gold, royal blue, and white, as she'd earlier chosen to dye the various parts of those moccasins.   
  
The toes of the moccasins she was currently wearing had been dyed white on the toes of them. While the  
  
gold had been put on the soles, the crimson on the sides and top of them, and the royal blue on the heels  
  
and the edges of them, as she'd earlier seen fit to dye the doeskin they'd both been made from, of course.   
  
After all six wings soon appeared either on her uniform's back or on the backs of both her moccasins, she  
  
then began rising from the bottom of the tunnel. She did this at least until she was able to reach out for a  
  
ladder that she'd been earlier going down before she'd jumped off it, in order to get to the bottom of the  
  
tunnel and store the canisters just received by her some time before. She did that here so that she could  
  
begin climbing it until she was out of the tunnel again. She gripped that ladder a few seconds later. And  
  
she quickly began ascending it again.  
  
As she did so, she hoped that nothing bad was currently happening anywhere in the Moon  
  
Kingdom, of course. She reached the surface below her chambers again no more than about a minute or  
  
two later. Then she said, once she'd gotten sufficiently above ground again, and had put the boulder back  
  
in its proper place to hide the tunnel it normally hid from people's view, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse, Eagle  
  
Wings Power Off!" Her wings then disappeared again from the backs of her uniform and her moccasins.   
  
Seconds later, at most, she was quite hastily climbing up the blanket-made rope she'd made earlier. Up  
  
she went it as quickly as she could do so safely and easily enough here. And as soon as she got to the top  
  
of the trellis, she then swung to the window's sill as safely and as quickly as she could swing to it. After  
  
she'd done so easily enough, she then detached the blanket-made rope from the trellis as quickly as she  
  
could. Then she untied the blankets from that very rope. And she soon hid all of them, and the sack she'd  
  
put her three newest canisters in, back in her alcove after accessing it again in the necessary manner. That  
  
done, she soon closed her alcove again. And she hid it again, just as she'd done some time earlier. With  
  
that now done here, she then went back to her bed. And she moved her other sack under her chair. She  
  
did that here, in fact, so that when she eventually called her siblings into her own bedroom again, they all  
  
wouldn't see it for at least a few seconds, if not even longer than that here. Supposing they'd actually see  
  
it at all, of course, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
She soon took a sip of a glass of water, just after lighting all the lanterns she'd blown out a while  
  
before again, and returning to that chair herself. And then she eventually said here, "Rebecca, Martha, and  
  
Ulysses, you're clear to return here to my bedroom. Enter immediately, without any delay."  
  
Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses did so, without even realizing that Sylvia had changed her look.   
  
As soon as they saw her sitting in their older sister Sylvia's chair, a questioning look appeared in their eyes.   
  
She then shushed them right away with just one touch of her right index finger to her lips, as she essentially  
  
said, with a single look, "Sit down, and remain rather quiet. You can ask me questions. And if I can  
  
answer them, I will."  
  
When they asked her the questions that Serenity had suspected that they would, then, if the current  
  
situation for her and them allowed it at all, Skyhorse soon told them what Queen Serenity wanted her to  
  
tell them all here. And she also did whatever Serenity wanted her to do with them, before she heard the  
  
beeps that Serenity had mentioned in her earlier message to Sylvia. Then she said, "Kids, we have to go  
  
now to that distant place I just told you about. Gather in a circle around me. And please don't get too far  
  
away from me, when you do it. Form that circle by holding hands with each other around me. First,  
  
Rebecca, you take Martha's left hand and Uly's right hand. Next, Martha, you take Uly's left hand and  
  
Rebecca's right hand. Finally, Uly, you take Rebecca's left hand and Martha's right hand."  
  
So Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses all did as she told them all to do. And after they'd done so well  
  
enough to sufficiently suit her here, she then said, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse, Sailor and Sibling Teleport." As  
  
soon as she said it, all four of them then disappeared from her own Wakefield Castle chambers. Eventually,  
  
they all reappeared at the Kyoto Area Spaceport in Kyoto, Japan, which was also on Earth. Then they  
  
all waited for Darien and Rolando's eventual arrivals there as well, of course. And they waited for at least  
  
ten or so minutes, in fact. During which time, Skyhorse kept her siblings occupied by playing cards with  
  
them, at least. Whether or not she did anything else as well with them in the meantime, as Serenity had now  
  
asked her to do in her most recent message to Sylvia, she still did that here, somehow, at least.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first ten chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its  
  
related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Darien's Chambers In The Imperial Palace  
  
Kyoto, Japan, Earth  
  
November 23, 986  
  
Meanwhile, while Sylvia was telling her siblings to go to her bathroom until she said otherwise,  
  
Darien was currently reading a scroll in his chambers, as he sat in a chair near his bed. It was now about  
  
9:30 in the morning local time, as he was doing so. One of his windows was open a little bit to take in a  
  
rare cool breeze heading into the area from the southeast. It was currently about sixty or so degrees  
  
Fahrenheit in the Kyoto area. And this breeze was about four or so degrees cooler, but not more than eight  
  
degrees cooler, in any case. He had the aforementioned window open, so that if the breeze came as he  
  
hoped it would, he could eventually feel it in his chambers. Supposing, of course, that he was still in them  
  
when that breeze came toward them.  
  
As soon as it reached the middle of the hour, though, a sudden gust of wind sent something through  
  
that open window. That something was a canister sent from Serenity to him. As soon as he saw it enter  
  
his chambers, he then set aside his scroll, and closed the window for at least a little while. That done, he  
  
then hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside of his chamber door, so that while he was attending to  
  
that canister from Queen Serenity, nobody would needlessly bother him.  
  
That done, he then came back into his chambers and bolted them shut rather securely, of course.   
  
He wasted no unnecessary time opening her canister to him, and seeing what was in it. In it was a short  
  
message on a scroll, as well as a rose from one of the eight gardens on the grounds of the Crystal Palace  
  
in Moon City, back on the Moon, if nothing else as well. After he read her rather short message to him,  
  
he then did exactly what she told him to do in his chambers before he told his parents and two siblings, if  
  
it was at all possible, exactly where he was going for at least a little while. He did so without any hesitation  
  
from him at all to do so. Even though, of course, he didn't yet know entirely why she told him to do the  
  
things that she wanted him to do before he left his chambers again. That was, obviously, only true if he'd  
  
ever know entirely why she'd told him to do all those things before he left his chambers again.  
  
After he did all the things that she wanted him to do before he left his chambers again, he soon left  
  
his chambers again. And he did that just so that he could tell his parents and siblings whatever she'd told  
  
him to tell them, of course. He wasted no unnecessary time at all in getting to his parents' chambers. After  
  
which he knocked on their door at least four times rather quickly. Empress Elaine let him in just about a  
  
minute or so later.  
  
As soon as he was then escorted to his parents' bedroom where his father Emperor Peter was  
  
spending some time in conversation with his siblings, Darien then had his mother sit down next to his father  
  
and his siblings on his parents' bed. He then briefly explained his current situation to them, and didn't take  
  
many questions from them about it. He did this in no more than ten to fifteen minutes, before his mother  
  
said, "If you must go to the Moon again, so be it, Darien. But I still wish that you'd stay on Earth more  
  
often. It seems like you're hardly ever here in the Kyoto area any more."  
  
"I suppose you're right, as usual, Mother. But apparently, I'm needed on the Moon again, for some  
  
reason not even I can fully understand, at least at the current time. I got the feeling that Queen Serenity left  
  
a lot of things out in her latest message to me, Mother. And if that's the case, I do have to go back to the  
  
Moon to find out what she left out."  
  
"And go be with Serena again, and her crowd?" asked his younger sister Caroline, who'd turn  
  
eighteen in about three months, give or take a few days either way.  
  
"No, Caroline, I don't think that'll even be possible for at least a while, if at all, while I'm still on the  
  
Moon during this current trip of mine to it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"They're apparently visiting other friends of theirs elsewhere on the Moon. Who they are, if indeed  
  
they are, I don't know yet."  
  
Jacob, who was his 22-year-old younger brother, then said, "So you don't expect to see them at  
  
all while you're on it."  
  
"It's possible, of course, Jacob, but I doubt that'll actually be the case. For I don't think that they  
  
can stay forever with those friends of theirs from elsewhere on the Moon. They're likely going to have to  
  
return, if at all possible, to Moon City before too much longer. I suspect by Christmas, at the very latest,  
  
they'll all want to be in Moon City again, for all the obvious reasons. Especially Serena, for she normally  
  
prefers to be in the Moon City area of the Moon whenever possible."  
  
Emperor Peter asked his older son, "Darien, is there anything else you need from us?"  
  
"I've got everything I need, I believe, at the current time, before I go to the Moon, except for  
  
someone to accompany me to the KAS. I'd like Jacob to go with me there, if that's all right with you, Dad.   
  
I don't want to leave my horse at the KAS for too long. So someone needs to go with me there. I'll be  
  
riding one, and my companion the other. When I get to the spaceport, he'll need to bring my horse back  
  
here in the required manner, of course. As soon as I get off, and take all my things off, my horse, he'll need  
  
to bring my horse back here as quickly as he can, just as soon as I tell him to do that."  
  
"All right. Jacob, you're going with Darien to the spaceport. You do whatever he tells you to do,  
  
no matter what it is. No debate. As soon as he tells you to return here, you do so immediately. I want  
  
you back here before noon. For I don't want you to be caught in a sudden thunderstorm. From the looks  
  
of the clouds to the west, we might have one within the next few hours. It'll probably take you at least  
  
twenty minutes to get to the spaceport, and at least another fifteen to twenty to get back here."  
  
"Understood, Dad." Jacob would've preferred, though, to be able to stay back at the Imperial  
  
Palace. For he often loved to goof off whenever he possibly could do so. But even he knew that there was  
  
no sense in possibly getting caught in a sudden thunderstorm, if he could possibly avoid it. So he'd said  
  
what he just had to his father.  
  
A few minutes more, at most, of conversation between everyone in the room, and then Darien and  
  
Jacob left their parents' chambers again, of course. They both hurried as quickly as they could to the  
  
nearest stables on the grounds of Kyoto's Imperial Palace. And they then saddled up and loaded up their  
  
horses as quickly as they could do so safely enough. They wasted no unnecessary time in doing so. For  
  
they were both now on a very tight schedule, as mentioned earlier by Darien when he'd told his parents and  
  
his siblings of Queen Serenity's latest message to him.  
  
They arrived at the spaceport with at least a few minutes to spare. And they soon found Skyhorse  
  
there with Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses, as Queen Serenity had earlier said they probably would be, if  
  
Skyhorse had decided to bring them along with her when she returned to the Moon. Darien soon  
  
dismounted from his horse, and unloaded his things from his horse and his brother's horse, setting those  
  
things on the ground near where Skyhorse had been waiting with her siblings for him to arrive at that  
  
spaceport. As soon as he did so well enough to suit him, and had said his farewells to his brother, for the  
  
obvious reasons, of course, he then said, "Jacob, return immediately to the Imperial Palace, as required by  
  
me and Emperor Peter. No debate, or when I get back, I'll have to inform our parents that you did so the  
  
first chance that I get to do so. And you know what that'll undoubtedly bring you, Jacob. So do as you've  
  
been told."  
  
"Understood." Then Jacob wheeled his horse, and set off again as quickly and as safely as he could  
  
for the Imperial Palace, waving goodbye to his older brother as he did so. Of course, he wished that  
  
Darien had also introduced him to Skyhorse, Rebecca, Martha, and Ulysses. But Darien hadn't, which  
  
made him at least a little upset, for the obvious reasons.  
  
After Jacob was finally all the way out of Darien's sight, Darien then said, "It's nice to see you again,  
  
Skyhorse. I suppose these youngsters are Sylvia's siblings."  
  
"Correct, Prince Darien. I take it that you also received at least one canister from Queen  
  
Serenity?" She then introduced Darien and her siblings to each other as quickly and as briefly as she could.  
  
"Yes. And she told me that I needed to be here by 10:30 am local time. So here I am, Skyhorse.   
  
It's too bad Sylvia couldn't be here, evidently. Where is she?" asked Darien, after the necessary  
  
introductions between her siblings and himself had been done sufficiently well by Skyhorse, of course.   
  
However, from at least one previous personal experience of his, that related at least partly both to him and  
  
to Sylvia, back on the Moon, he already knew that Skyhorse was also Sylvia Wakefield, and vice versa.   
  
He didn't let her siblings actually know that very fact though, for all the obvious reasons, of course.  
  
"She went off on one of her usual journeys elsewhere in Israel, some time ago, of course, Darien.   
  
As I believe I've already told you she often has a habit of doing."  
  
"But of course, Skyhorse. Sylvia wouldn't really be Sylvia if she didn't, would she?"  
  
"Nope. I suppose not, Darien." Then Skyhorse let Darien lead them to a little restaurant elsewhere  
  
on the grounds of the KAS, where all of them could get a little bit to eat, if they wanted to, before Rolando  
  
was due to show up at the KAS sometime later.  
  
While they were doing so, they spent at least a little bit of time getting to know each other a little  
  
bit, if they'd not already done so at least one time before. Mainly, Darien got at least a bit acquainted with  
  
Becca, Martha, and Uly, and they did the same thing with him.  
  
They did this until Skyhorse's locket suddenly beeped a few times about a second between beeps,  
  
and about five or six beeps in total. Those beeps told Skyhorse that Rolando and his things were now in  
  
transit to the KAS. So she then said, just as soon as she heard the beeps stop coming from her locket,  
  
"Darien, I believe that Rolando's now inbound. He'll be here within five minutes or so, if I'm not mistaken.   
  
Please pay the check, and then be where you earlier met up with all four of us shortly thereafter, when you  
  
came to the spaceport then with your brother Jacob. And please don't waste any time in paying the check,  
  
and getting there. Because as you know, we're all on a very tight schedule now, of course."  
  
So as Skyhorse gathered up her siblings, Darien paid the required check, of course. Skyhorse  
  
hustled all three of her siblings out of that restaurant as quickly as she could, and she brought them all to  
  
the necessary place before Rolando would appear somewhere close enough to them. Darien wasn't too  
  
far behind her and her siblings, of course. He only stayed in the restaurant long enough to pay the check  
  
and gather up what was left of their food and drink. He returned to the same location where he'd met up  
  
earlier with Skyhorse and her three siblings only about a minute or two before Rolando appeared on the  
  
grounds of the KAS. Until Rolando did actually show up there, though, he and his fellow companions  
  
waited patiently for Rolando to appear near them there, of course.  
  
Rolando appeared within five to ten feet of them at about 12:25 pm local time, as Queen Serenity  
  
thought that he might do within two hours or so after Darien got there to meet them as well. Rolando  
  
appeared with all his things that he'd be bringing to the Moon when he showed up there. All his things were  
  
either on his back, in a sack on his waist, or in a scabbard hanging from his waist as well. Even the shield  
  
that he'd gotten sometime earlier from Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, in fact, before he'd left the Moon  
  
for the first time ever in his life, if he'd not leave it only once in his own life.  
  
Several minutes later, then, Skyhorse said the necessary phrase, and all six of them soon were on  
  
their way to the Moon, as planned. Some time after they'd left Terra behind again in the required manner,  
  
they all then materialized safely enough in the Crystal Chalice Garden on the grounds of the Crystal Palace  
  
in Moon City, on the Moon. As promised, Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel were already there waiting  
  
for them to show up there when they did so.  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first eleven chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	12. Chapter Twelve

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Crystal Chalice Garden In The Crystal Palace  
  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 23, 986  
  
When they all materialized in that garden on the grounds of the Crystal Palace, it was now, if one  
  
used a 24-hour-long day, about 3:30 in the morning in Moon City. Which was the same, or nearly the  
  
same, time that it'd be back where Rolando had come from on Earth just prior to his showing up in Kyoto,  
  
Japan, sometime before his coming to the Moon with his five current companions. For Moon City was  
  
centered on both the moon's Prime Meridian and its Equator, on the near side of the Moon, with the center  
  
of it being marked by a large pillar roughly, if not exactly, in the middle of the Imperial Palace some distance  
  
away from the Crystal Palace. The Earth was descending in the sky as they materialized in the Crystal  
  
Chalice Garden on the grounds of the Crystal Palace. The Sun was not yet visible, for it was still night in  
  
the Moon City area of the Moon. Of course, if it was night on the Moon City side of the Moon, it then  
  
would logically follow that it was now day on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon.  
  
When all six Terrans adjusted well enough to being on the Moon instead of Earth, and Skyhorse  
  
knew that they had, she said, "Hello, Queen Serenity. It's good to be back on the Moon. I don't see the  
  
other girls, though, of course."  
  
"No, you don't. They're currently otherwise occupied, Skyhorse. Would you care to introduce  
  
me to these children, if you please, Skyhorse?"  
  
"I suppose I could do that, Queen Serenity," answered Skyhorse, not too much later here.  
  
So Skyhorse did just that, one sibling at a time. And after doing that, she also introduced them one  
  
at a time, to Prince Daniel as well, of course. Queen Serenity then said to each of them, once Skyhorse  
  
had done both those things well enough to suit both herself and Queen Serenity quite well, "Welcome to  
  
the Moon, sibling of Sylvia Wakefield. I hope you enjoy your stay with us here on the Moon. If Sylvia  
  
somehow shows up here, or we somehow hear from her, while you're here, we'll certainly let you know,  
  
if at all possible, of course. In the meantime, though, I'd really like you all to go wherever my husband  
  
Prince Daniel, Prince Darien, and Prince Rolando may lead you all."  
  
Of course, Skyhorse backed her up, when Queen Serenity said that last part to each of her siblings.   
  
So, even though they naturally didn't know what to expect from all three Princes, they did as Queen  
  
Serenity and Skyhorse had asked them to do, of course. Little did they know that they'd most likely have  
  
to stay in the Moon City area most of the time while they were on the Moon. And they didn't yet know  
  
that Sylvia was actually also on the Moon with them, for they didn't know Sylvia was also actually Junior  
  
Sailor Skyhorse. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. If things worked out well enough for  
  
them and enough other people both on Earth and on any known world of the Moon Kingdom, that'd  
  
hopefully remain the case for at least a few more years, if not forever, of course. Only time would tell,  
  
though, if such things would work out well enough for all the necessary people from Earth or any of those  
  
known worlds in the Moon Kingdom, of course. Skyhorse would certainly be one of those people who'd  
  
most likely hope that'd be the case for a very long time, if not forever, in her very own mortal life in God's  
  
very own Universe, for the obvious reasons. Especially after her first battle with any number of  
  
Negaversers that'd taken place some time before the present date in her life.  
  
Skyhorse and Serenity then watched her siblings go with all three of the Princes now in question  
  
here, at least until they were all quite sufficiently enough out of sight here. When they were absolutely sure,  
  
then, that they'd not be heard or seen in the Crystal Chalice Garden for at least a little while, Serenity then  
  
sat down on a bench in it, and had Skyhorse do the same. That was after Serenity had summoned a few  
  
of her maidservants to take most, if not all, of the things that Skyhorse had just brought along to the Moon  
  
with her and her fellow Terrans to Sylvia's chambers in the Crystal Palace.  
  
"Skyhorse, how would you like to go to the other side of the Moon for at least a little while?"  
  
"I'd like to rest for at least a little while before I do so, Queen Serenity, if that's all right with you.   
  
I hope that's not a problem for you at all, Queen Serenity."  
  
"Of course, considering that you recently teleported twice between different locations in our solar  
  
system, you probably would want to."  
  
"Yes. I suppose the other Princesses actually are now on the other side of the Moon, led by  
  
Serena, of course."  
  
"Yes, Serena and her crowd are on the other side of the Moon. I can't say where yet, until I  
  
contact them to let them know that you're now here on the Moon."  
  
"Secret location, then, no doubt?"  
  
"Yes. I don't want you to know where it is exactly, until you're about to go there, at the very  
  
earliest, and until you're actually there, at the latest. This, of course, is for all the obvious reasons,  
  
Skyhorse."  
  
"I understand, Queen Serenity. How soon should the Sun rise again here then?"  
  
"If the time was converted to your time back on Earth?" When Skyhorse nodded, Queen Serenity  
  
thought for a moment, then said, "I figure about 8:10 or 9:10 in the morning your time back in Jerusalem,  
  
Israel, I think."  
  
"So it'll probably start showing here at about 6:10 am Rolando's time, and about 3:10 pm Darien's  
  
time. And dawn should last an hour, like it does on Earth, if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"That sounds about right, Skyhorse."  
  
"Then your total daylight period should be anywhere from about ten or so hours long, before the  
  
hour-long sunset begins, if I remember how things work well enough here on the Moon. And an hour later,  
  
after sunset begins, Earth will begin appearing again in your lunar skies. For an hour, it too will then rise,  
  
I believe, until it is all above your horizon. Then, it'll rise in the sky until it reaches the middle of it, after  
  
which it'll then descend to the horizon opposite the one it rose from, of course, taking an hour to set  
  
completely, finishing its setting as the Sun begins to rise directly opposite it, I think."  
  
"Right, Skyhorse. And those of us on this side of the Moon are twelve hours ahead of those on  
  
the other side of the Moon. As your planet rotates east to west on its axis, ours does the same. However,  
  
we reckon that when the Earth is directly overhead and at its highest possible location at any time above  
  
the Imperial Palace, a new day on the calendar has begun for us. Local midnight happens for us at that  
  
same time. We consider the day to be 24 hours long here on the Moon, and because of that fact, we order  
  
our days accordingly here on the Moon. Half our Moon is lit at any time, of course, while the other half  
  
is not. True, it often takes a lot of energy to maintain our sun shields, for the obvious reasons, but we still  
  
maintain them, so that any people that might not live on this side of the Moon do get at least some sunlight  
  
for themselves, of course."  
  
The two of them talked with each other for at least a little while longer, until Skyhorse said, "I'm  
  
rather tired, Queen Serenity. I hope you don't mind me wanting to get some rest now."  
  
"No, I don't. Please be in the Sailor Scout Garden, though, about three or so hours past local  
  
noon, for I'll need you there then. When I'll want you there as soon as possible, I'll ring you, if I need to.   
  
I've had your siblings put in chambers near the Chrysalis Garden. Their chambers aren't very far apart, yet  
  
their doors are at least forty feet away from each other, if not more."  
  
"Thank you, Queen Serenity. Then, if there's nothing else we need to discuss, at least as of the  
  
current time, I'll be leaving you again, until later, Queen Serenity."  
  
"Nothing else, other than to say, 'I'm glad you're back here on the Moon for a while, Skyhorse,  
  
who is also known as Sylvia Lucille Wakefield, of course, and I welcome you to it again, as well,'  
  
Skyhorse. Feel free to return to your chambers at any time."  
  
Then Skyhorse said her farewells to Queen Serenity, at least for the time being, of course. This  
  
she did, just before she returned to her own chambers, as planned. On her way out of the garden, she also  
  
picked a rose from a bush that Queen Serenity periodically let her pick roses from. And then she placed  
  
it in one of the vases that Queen Serenity often kept near that rosebush for her use at such times. She then  
  
stuck that vase under her left arm, as she gathered up the remainder of her things and left the garden behind  
  
for her own chambers.  
  
When she was safely enough behind the door of her chambers, and sure that nobody could either  
  
hear, see, or detect her, as she did so, she finally transformed out of her Sailor Scout state of being, and  
  
back into her normal Earth state of being, even though she was now on the Moon, of course. After she  
  
did that, she then began preparing to get some sleep for a while, if at all possible. She was ready to retire  
  
to her bed in them within about five to ten more minutes, at most, after getting to her chambers and securing  
  
them well enough to be sure that nobody would likely be able to bother her while she was sleeping in them  
  
for at least a while. After that became the case, she retired not long afterward, of course. And she then  
  
slept rather peacefully in her bed for at least the next five to six hours, if not longer than that. She didn't  
  
leave her bed until just about twenty or so minutes before local noon in the Moon City area of the Moon,  
  
at the very earliest, and no more than an hour after local noon, at the very latest.  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first twelve chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Serenity's Chambers In The Crystal Palace  
  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 23, 986  
  
After Skyhorse left her in the Crystal Chalice Garden for at least a while, Queen Serenity spent at  
  
least the next hour there thinking over at least a few things that were currently concerning her to some  
  
degree in her life. Knowing she wouldn't likely be summoned from that garden for a while made her a little  
  
happy. This was because she'd have at least a little time to herself, before she went back to her own  
  
chambers elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds. When she'd eventually spent enough time there after  
  
Skyhorse left her alone in it, she then soon returned to her own chambers on the palace's grounds, going  
  
by the way of the main dining hall on them when she did so, in fact. For she then actually had this sudden  
  
urge to get herself an early morning meal prior to local dawn. And this was mainly, if not entirely due to  
  
the fact that she now knew that she was carrying more than one baby inside her womb, as she'd done at  
  
least one time before, of course.  
  
She then ate several pepperoni and several hamburger pizzas, half a large black cherry, black  
  
walnut, raisin, and watermelon pie, and two medium-sized bowls of potato salad and fruit salad each. With  
  
all that food, she also drank two tall glasses of chocolate milk, two tall glasses of white milk, four tall glasses  
  
of orange juice often mixed with prune juice, and two tall glasses of oolong tea, with some cinnamon, lemon  
  
juice, and cocoa mixed into each glass of oolong tea, as she saw fit to mix those three items into her tea.   
  
By the time that she was finally done eating and drinking all the things that she'd just made up for herself  
  
because of that urge to feast, she was, of course, quite full, for the obvious reasons. She returned to her  
  
own chambers again soon after she returned all her dirty dishes to wherever they needed to be in the main  
  
dining hall. And she soon took a short nap for as long as her babies would then let her do so.  
  
But she was up again by two hours before local noon would arrive again in the Moon City area of  
  
the Moon. After she woke up, her husband soon did. For Serenity had woken him up from a nap he'd  
  
decided to take after he, Rolando, and Darien had finally gotten all three of Sylvia's siblings settled well  
  
enough in their chambers on the Crystal Palace's grounds. She'd just woken him up after she'd begun  
  
pacing quite a bit in her chambers. She was trying to figure out how to handle things once the quintuplets  
  
eventually arrived in the Moon City area of the Moon, if they even did so, of course. And she was quite  
  
nervously pacing in her chambers as she did so. Which eventually woke her husband up from where he  
  
was sleeping in their bed.  
  
Eventually, after watching her pace quite nervously in her chambers, while he was sitting up in their  
  
bed, he asked, "Serenity, what's the matter?"  
  
She said, "Husband, I'm really worried about how we're going to handle things if and when these  
  
babies get born. And I fear that you'll not always be around to help me take care of them well enough.   
  
I'm sure you know why by now, my dear love."  
  
"God will provide a way for us to do that, if it's truly His will that we have any or all of the babies  
  
we now have growing inside you, dearest love. True, I may not always be around as they each grow up.   
  
But if I'm not, I hope to eventually meet you again someday in the Celestial City. Supposing, of course,  
  
it's His will that we'll both end up there with Him, and with anyone else who belongs there as well."  
  
"I don't want to lose you because of the Negaverse, Daniel."  
  
"If it's meant to happen, it'll happen, whether any of us like it or not. I don't want it to happen too,  
  
of course. For I'd really like to see Serena get married and have at least one child. But if it happens, Niti  
  
love, it'll happen no matter what we try to do at all in order to prevent it from happening. If any or all of  
  
your dreams and/or visions are then sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, you may have to give  
  
up our very own Moon Kingdom to save Serena and as many other people as you can. Whether they're  
  
good or bad, won't you?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so." Serenity finally sat down in a nearby chair in her chambers, so that she could  
  
rest her feet for at least a little while.  
  
"You'd sacrifice yourself and our Moon Kingdom, at least, to save as many of our people as you  
  
could then possibly save?"  
  
"In a heartbeat, Daniel. I really don't want our dear Serena and her crowd to lose their futures, if  
  
I can possibly keep it from happening. Even if it means the Moon Kingdom must be sacrificed, and even  
  
if it means my death, I'll save as many of them, if I can't save all of them, as I can possibly save for at least  
  
the time being from death. I really don't like the idea of having to do it, of course. But I'll still do it, if I feel  
  
I absolutely have to, and if I possibly can, Daniel. As long as they manage to survive somehow, if at all  
  
possible, I'd be happy enough, I think, with what I'd done in my life up to that time. And I'd also be quite  
  
glad to go to the Celestial City someday, if it was truly God's will that I ever end up there someday."  
  
"And be with me and Mother, perhaps?"  
  
"If she's there, I think I'd not mind seeing her again in actual reality, Daniel. It's been so long since  
  
she fell asleep around Serena's birthdate, if not on it, Daniel."  
  
"I know that, Serenity. And I still miss her very much, just as you do too. And I know that you  
  
also miss your parents very much too."  
  
"I'll do what I can to save all the people that I can, if and when the Negaversers come here, of  
  
course. But you know that I may not be able to save everyone else, I'm sure, Daniel."  
  
"I trust you to do the best that you can, no matter what the cost to us and/or our Moon Kingdom,  
  
Serenity. Even if I'm already gone when you do that, of course. I know that you can be a good parent,  
  
even without me around, given enough of a chance to do that, of course. Especially if it's God's will that  
  
you're able to be one, to anyone you're then taking care of like that in your life."  
  
"Whether they're our children or not?"  
  
"Of course, Niti darling. That's what I believe very strongly. And nothing that ever happens to  
  
either of us is ever going to change my opinion about such things. Even if I actually am lost to you for a  
  
time, Serenity. Or to any of our children, our friends, and our people, as a matter of fact. So don't ever  
  
fear that I'll ever think otherwise of you in our lives. Both on this side of falling asleep and on the other side  
  
of falling asleep, Serenity. And I'll never love any other woman in my life more than I ever love you."  
  
"Even if you're in your immortal body?"  
  
"I believe so, Serenity. True, once we get upstairs to the Celestial City, if that's where God  
  
chooses for us to be when our mortal lives are over forever, we'll never die again. We'll be eternally alive,  
  
if He sees fit to allow us to get upstairs to His Celestial City, whenever we ever want to be in it, forever."  
  
"Do you mind if I go to the other side of the Moon for a while?"  
  
"Fine with me, Serenity. You're intending to bring Sylvia there, if you can, or to send her there, if  
  
you can't go yourself, I'm sure."  
  
"Yes, I'd not mind doing that, if I can do the former. But I may not be able to do that, for the  
  
obvious reasons, of course. I may have to do the latter, instead of the former, of course."  
  
Then he talked for at least a little while longer with her, before she said that she should probably  
  
take a bath or a shower before she met up again with Sylvia later on. Daniel understood why, of course.   
  
And he quite readily agreed with her, even going so far as to help her out by getting her some clothes to  
  
wear as she went to her bathroom to get ready for that bath or shower. As she prepared to bathe or  
  
shower, he got some clothes for her from her closet. She then took those clothes from him, just before she  
  
closed her bathroom door, so that she could shower or bathe in complete privacy. And she sent him out  
  
of her chambers, so that he could check up on a few things for her while she was otherwise occupied in  
  
her bathroom. Of course, when he left her chambers, she bolted the door of them quite securely behind  
  
him. And then she went back to her bathroom, so that she could take the necessary shower or bath in  
  
them. She chose to bathe for a while. After which she then dressed as quickly as she could, and got ready  
  
to meet up with Sylvia later, of course.  
  
As soon as she got done with her bath and got dressed, she then did her hair. Then she gathered  
  
up all the things that she'd likely need in the near future when she went to meet at least with Sylvia in the  
  
Sailor Scout Garden, before she too left her own chambers, of course.  
  
She was in the Sailor Scout Garden about ten minutes before she'd hoped to meet up with Sylvia  
  
again. And she found at least a few things to do while she was waiting for Sylvia to show up there in her  
  
Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Skyhorse. While she was still alone in that garden on the  
  
grounds of the Crystal Palace, she also transformed herself into her own second-power Sailor Scout state  
  
of being as Sentinel Serenity. After doing that, she then sat down on a bench near the pillar she'd need to  
  
access later on. She did that here so that when Sylvia showed up there as Skyhorse, she'd eventually be  
  
able to bring her to an underground cavern below the Crystal Palace's grounds.  
  
She waited for a while longer, until Sylvia eventually showed up in that garden, as Serenity had  
  
wanted her to do later on in the day. Of course, when Sylvia got to that garden, she was also in her own  
  
Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Skyhorse.  
  
After Skyhorse eventually arrived in the aforementioned Crystal Palace garden in the necessary  
  
manner, Serenity then talked to her briefly there, just before she had Skyhorse turn around for a little while.   
  
That was so that she could access the hidden console under the top of the nearby pillar, of course. After  
  
she did that, she then accessed that console, input the necessary codes into it, and put the top of the pillar  
  
back on. With all that then done, she allowed Skyhorse to turn around again so that she was facing Sentinel  
  
Serenity once more. Then Sentinel Serenity led Junior Sailor Skyhorse over to a nearby boulder. And she  
  
had her help move it to one side, so that they'd eventually be able to get Junior Sailor Skyhorse, at least,  
  
if not also Sentinel Serenity, over to the other side of the Moon in the required manner. With that done,  
  
Sentinel Serenity then led Skyhorse into the tunnel behind that boulder, after first giving her a suitable  
  
enough torch to see in that tunnel well enough. After they and all their current things were sufficiently inside  
  
that tunnel, then, Sentinel Serenity soon palmed a certain brick on one of the nearby walls of that very same  
  
tunnel, in fact. She did that here just so that the aforementioned tunnel would hopefully be quite hidden  
  
from the view of the necessary people. And so that it'd also hopefully stay that way while she then led  
  
Skyhorse to the underground cavern below the Crystal Palace's grounds, of course.  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first thirteen chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
An Underground Cavern Below The Crystal Palace  
  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 23, 986  
  
Some length of time later, Serenity had led Skyhorse to the required underground cavern some  
  
distance below the grounds of the Crystal Palace. And she led them to a certain depression in the middle  
  
of it, of course. After doing that, Serenity then lit a few lanterns that she'd recently put in the cavern, so that  
  
Skyhorse could see better than if she didn't do so. Eventually, Skyhorse saw a somewhat large tile with  
  
her Sailor Scout symbol on it. And then she eventually asked Serenity here, "Will we actually be using  
  
these tiles to go to the other side of the Moon?" after she also had seen several other similar tiles in that  
  
same depression.  
  
"Sure, we will, or at least you will, Skyhorse."  
  
"Will I have to teleport much like I did to Kyoto and Moon City, Sentinel Serenity?"  
  
"Sort of, but not entirely." Sentinel Serenity told her how she'd be able to do that in a little while,  
  
whether or not she'd be able to go to the other side of the Moon with Skyhorse. This, of course, was for  
  
all the obvious reasons.  
  
Then Skyhorse put all the things that she'd be bringing to the other side of the Moon with her on  
  
her tile. That done, Serenity then went to a console near that depression, and accessed it. She accessed  
  
it, and soon enough, had Poruzuka talking to her. She told Poruzuka to lower the deflector shields over  
  
the Rainbow Springs Palace at least long enough for Skyhorse to come there. So Poruzuka eventually did  
  
so, with Serena's help, after she'd first summoned Serena to the necessary place on the grounds of the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace. When Serena and Poruzuka said that they were ready to do so, Serenity then  
  
had them do so moments later. Serena and Poruzuka then lowered the required shields, and then Serenity  
  
had Skyhorse step onto her tile, of course. Then after Skyhorse briefly conversed for a moment longer with  
  
Serenity, Serenity then had Skyhorse say only once, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse, Sailor Teleport." That done,  
  
Skyhorse felt herself dissolving, so that she could teleport to the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. Then  
  
she felt herself bouncing off the sun shield, then a mirror, then a space station, then another mirror, and a  
  
satellite, until she began materializing again in front of both Serena and Poruzuka, as planned. It took her  
  
a few moments, at least, to teleport to Rainbow Springs, of course, and several more, at least, to get her  
  
bearings again well enough, once she was in the necessary room of the Rainbow Springs Palace. She  
  
ended up in the same room that Serenity had come to with several of her Scouts some time before. But  
  
Serenity didn't appear there, for she'd decided, just before Skyhorse began teleporting to Rainbow Springs,  
  
not to risk teleporting herself there in the condition that she was currently in, of course. So only Skyhorse  
  
materialized there in front of both Serena and Poruzuka, because of that fact. After she got her bearings  
  
well enough in the room that she was now in on the other side of the Moon, Skyhorse then said, "I'm here  
  
safely enough, Sentinel Serenity."  
  
"That's good. Serena, I trust you know what you have to do with her before she begins training  
  
with your team?" asked Serenity, through the still-open communications channel.  
  
"Yes, Mother, I do. Do you actually want me to tell everyone else that she's now here on this side  
  
of the Moon?" asked Serena.  
  
"Not until at least breakfast time, my dear Serena, at the very earliest. Junior Sailor Skyhorse, after  
  
you get done in that area of the Rainbow Springs Palace, Princesses Serena and Poruzuka are going to  
  
take you to a certain room elsewhere in it. Do whatever they tell you to do in it, no matter how strange it  
  
might seem to you when they do so. You'll learn why later, if you don't learn why when they have you do  
  
at least one thing there. And you should understand why, eventually, if you don't immediately understand  
  
why, they're having you do that thing or those things. Believe me, I do know what I'm talking about here,  
  
for I've done the thing or things that they'll be having you do sometime later. After you do whatever they  
  
tell you to do, then you'll have the rest of the time before you eat breakfast to do as you wish on the  
  
grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace."  
  
"Understood, Sentinel Serenity. I'll do as your daughter and Poruzuka tell me to do, at least for  
  
the time being, even if I don't understand fully why they'll have me do at least one thing, if not more, there.   
  
But I most certainly will, of course, eventually want to know why they'd had me do at least one thing, if not  
  
more, for the obvious reasons, if I don't know why sooner than later."  
  
Then Serenity spent only a few more minutes talking with Serena, Skyhorse, and Poruzuka, for the  
  
obvious reasons, before she signed off, and closed the communications channel that she'd been using to  
  
talk to them. As soon as she did so, Serena and Poruzuka then raised the deflector shields again, so that  
  
the grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace would again be as safe as possible from attacks from anywhere  
  
above it, of course. Then Serena and Poruzuka then took Skyhorse to the necessary room in the palace,  
  
so that Skyhorse's powers could be dampened to at least some degree, for all the obvious reasons, of  
  
course.  
  
Skyhorse then did exactly what Serena and Poruzuka then told her to do, and her powers were  
  
then dampened about twenty percent or so, for the obvious reasons. Then after that happened for her,  
  
Skyhorse soon asked Serena and Poruzuka, "Will I be able to get them all completely back later, if I need  
  
them?"  
  
"Probably, I think. But for at least the time being, all your powers, Skyhorse, whatever they may  
  
be, are going to be dampened at least ten percent, if not more than that. I know you may not like it very  
  
much here, in fact. But that's the way things must be here and now, if you're actually going to be training  
  
with us all, and if no significant enough trouble arises for any or all of us that'll require all your power to be  
  
accessible to you. Or all the power that the rest of us who'll be training with you here on the grounds of  
  
the Rainbow Springs Palace have already had dampened and stored here for at least a little while, as well.   
  
I'm really sorry if you don't like it, Junior Sailor Skyhorse. But if the rest of us have to have our powers  
  
dampened at least ten percent most, if not all, of the time that we're all on this side of the Moon, then you'll  
  
have to have yours dampened at least that much too, of course," answered Serena, after she'd thought  
  
about such things for at least a few seconds, if not even longer than that. That was so that she could  
  
hopefully explain it at least a bit easier to Skyhorse than if she hadn't done that at all, in fact.  
  
Then, after Serena and Poruzuka talked for at least a few more minutes with Skyhorse, before they  
  
let her leave that room, so that she could rest for a while, if she wanted to do that at all before local dawn  
  
would arrive in the Rainbow Springs area of the Moon. And after she did so, they did so as well, so that  
  
they could get back to bed, if that's where they'd both actually been before Serenity had called them up  
  
from the underground cavern below the Crystal Palace some time before.  
  
Skyhorse eventually took them up on that offer, of course. But as she did, she asked them to show  
  
her where she was to stay for at least as long as she was going to be training with them on the grounds of  
  
the Rainbow Springs Palace, of course. They brought her to the chambers in it that Queen Serenity had  
  
earlier selected for her some length of time after Sylvia and others had gotten back to the Sol solar system  
  
of the Milky Way Galaxy from their recent adventure on Ozotov IV, a planet somewhere in the Cassini  
  
Galaxy. And then, when they were both sure that she was settled well enough in them, they were able, of  
  
course, to return to each of their chambers elsewhere in it, if they really wanted to do so. They soon left  
  
Skyhorse in the necessary chambers in it. And then they went to each of their respective chambers in it,  
  
so that they could go back to sleep, of course. After they left her alone in it, Skyhorse soon transformed  
  
out of her Sailor Scout state of being, and went to sleep for at least a while, of course. And only after she  
  
was sure that all her things were safely inside it, of course, that she'd earlier brought with her to the  
  
Rainbow Springs side of the Moon.  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first thirteen chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I now  
  
have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not actually  
  
recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in fact. So  
  
please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Main Dining Hall In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
November 23, 986  
  
Several hours later, Serena then knocked on Princess Sylvia's door. And after Princess Sylvia then  
  
said that she could enter her new Rainbow Springs Palace chambers, she soon did so. Princess Sylvia was  
  
currently getting ready for the upcoming day, after having slept for at least five or six more hours, most  
  
likely. She was now doing her hair when she also let Serena into her new chambers there. After letting  
  
Serena into her new chambers there, she then resumed doing her hair with her full attention again.  
  
In front of a mirror, Sylvia had been putting her hair up into a bun. Which she'd often done before  
  
in her life, though not at least half the time. She normally preferred to wear it down whenever possible in  
  
her life, though. But she might not always be able to wear it down whenever she was training as a Sailor  
  
Scout on the other side of the Moon, for all the obvious reasons. This time, though, wouldn't be one of  
  
those times, if she didn't want to put it up at all. She did choose, however, to wear it up, at least on the  
  
current day. Even if she didn't actually have to do that.  
  
Serena said, "I wonder if the others will be very surprised to see you here with us, if they don't  
  
already know that you're now here with us, Sylvia. I think they'll generally be happy to see or hear that  
  
you're over on this side of the Moon now for the first time in your life."  
  
"I think they will be, Serena. You didn't tell anyone else that I'm here who doesn't already know  
  
that, did you?"  
  
"No, though I must honestly admit that I almost decided to wake up a number of them to tell them  
  
that, of course."  
  
"Raye, Lita, Mina, Amy, Destiny, and Bethany, at least?"  
  
"Yes. But Mom told me not to, so I didn't. I didn't really want to get in trouble with her for  
  
disobeying her about such things. Or at least I didn't want to do so right now, Sylvia. So I actually didn't  
  
bother anyone else who doesn't yet know that you're here now."  
  
"I see. Well, thank you for doing what your mother told you to do, then, Serena."  
  
Then as Sylvia finished getting ready for the day, she talked only a little bit more with Serena about  
  
various things that were at least a little important to them both at the current time. She did this only as long  
  
as it took her to finish getting ready for the day. Then she soon left her chambers behind with Serena. That  
  
done, she and Serena went all the way to the main dining hall in the palace in complete silence. For they  
  
really didn't want to give away the fact to their fellow Princesses that Sylvia was now on the grounds of it,  
  
before they at least got to the main dining hall of it for their morning meal, if they could possibly avoid doing  
  
so at all for at least that longer, if not longer, of course.  
  
Eventually, they were all in it, and they all soon joined Dorothy Catherine Gallenski in it, who was  
  
finishing up her preparations of breakfast for everyone else who she already knew was on the grounds of  
  
the palace. Serena saw D.C. first, and she then silently signaled her to be completely quiet. So D.C. then  
  
did so here, in fact, even though she didn't yet know why, of course.  
  
As soon as D.C. did so, then, Serena had Sylvia step out of a darker area of the main dining hall,  
  
so that D.C. could see her well enough. Serena and Sylvia then began helping D.C. put all the food and  
  
drinks on the necessary tables in that dining hall, and they all finished doing so just before all the rest of the  
  
Princesses began showing up there in it as well. Serena and Sylvia were sitting in their seats at Serena's  
  
table just before the rest of the Princesses began arriving in the main dining hall. And Serena had  
  
intentionally not yet fully illuminated her table's lantern, so as not to give away the upcoming surprise that  
  
related directly to Sylvia, of course. But all the other necessary tables were, of course, fully illuminated in  
  
the main dining hall. As Princesses began filing into the main dining hall, they were eventually joined there  
  
by Luna and Artemis, who'd slightly overslept in their respective beds. Eventually, all the Princesses were  
  
in the main dining hall, in their proper seats at their respective tables. Even those who ate at the same table  
  
with Serena in it.  
  
As soon as Raye sat down, and she was sure that all the other people who'd already eaten at it  
  
were where they should be in it, she then asked, "How come our table is not fully illuminated yet, Serena?   
  
I know you're hiding something, Serena. What are you hiding?"  
  
"Girls, please look under your plates for a second, or feel under them, and I'll shed some light on  
  
the matter in very short order." She had placed bits of parchment under each of her tablemates' plates  
  
except for Sylvia's, for the obvious reasons, of course. As they did as she told them, Serena then slowly  
  
increased the light that the lantern was shining out of it onto the table. Not too fast, for she didn't want them  
  
to see Sylvia at least until they'd each found the bits of parchment under their plates and looked at or felt  
  
them well enough.  
  
Raye and several of the other Princesses now at Serena's table then read or felt the words, "I have  
  
a surprise for you all, which you might all like me to share with you and your fellow Princesses. A certain  
  
Princess from somewhere off the Moon is now here, and she'll now be training with us for at least a little  
  
while, if not a long while. She arrived on the Moon within the last day or two, and then came here not too  
  
long afterward, when Mom sent her here to be with us for a time. She'll be part of my team of Scouts, at  
  
least until further notice. As for Darien and Rolando, they are also on the Moon. Though not on this side  
  
of it. They came to the Moon with that Princess and her three siblings, while she was in her own Sailor  
  
Scout state of being. On the other side of the piece of parchment, there is a piece of fabric pinned to it with  
  
a series of pins. If you can't guess her identity by the time that you finish this message, then you should be  
  
able to guess it when you either feel or see that piece of fabric. Serena out." Then Serena's message to  
  
them ended completely. The aforementioned Princesses then soon turned over their pieces of parchment  
  
and found the pieces of fabric pinned to each of them, of course.  
  
Destiny soon said, "It can't be. Princess Sylvia just went back to Earth not long ago. And there  
  
were no trips planned in the near future between the Earth and the Moon, so how can she be here? I don't  
  
understand how." As Destiny said that, Serena translated her words for Bethany's benefit, of course.  
  
"Yes, Destiny, she's here. And she'll be staying with us for a time, believe it or not. She's now  
  
sitting in the seat that we'd left open at our table for a while. She arrived here in this palace not long ago."   
  
Serena then translated those words for Bethany's benefit as well, of course. And as she did so, she  
  
continued communicating for a time with the rest of the Princesses also in the main dining hall with her, as  
  
well as both cats. After she and them then did so for a while, Serena eventually decided to say a blessing  
  
over all the food and drink that D.C. had earlier prepared for the consumption of all the Princesses and  
  
both the cats for their respective breakfasts. And then she did so. After she did so, she finally let everyone  
  
in the main dining hall begin consuming their respective breakfasts, whatever they might be, of course. Even  
  
herself, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
As they all ate, D.C. eventually said, "So you're the Princess I'll actually be training against, at least  
  
at first, Sylvia."  
  
"It appears that's the case, Dorothy."  
  
"I hope that we can train well enough with each other, then, Sylvia. I can't wait to see just how  
  
good you actually are as a Sailor Scout."  
  
"So do I, and I really do hope that we get to train quite often with each other, whenever possible,  
  
of course, Dorothy."  
  
"With you as Skyhorse?"  
  
"Yes, and with you as Neptune Gamma, or whatever other identity or identities that you might ever  
  
actually have as a Sailor Scout."  
  
"I'm not always going to be Neptune Gamma?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Then, if I'm not, who'll I probably be, Sylvia, supposing that things somehow work out well enough  
  
for me to be one in the future?"  
  
"I heard the name 'Sailor Katrina' mentioned in my dreams the last time I was asleep. And this  
  
Sailor Katrina looked a lot like you, if not entirely, Dorothy."  
  
"Am I the only one you saw in your dreams that might have at least one other Sailor Scout identity  
  
in the future?"  
  
"No, Dorothy. Junior Sailor Uranus Alpha should become, I think, Sailor Herschelata. The new  
  
Sailor Uranus will probably be the current Junior Sailor Uranus Beta. Junior Sailor Uranus Gamma should  
  
be Sailor Portia, I believe. Junior Sailor Neptune Alpha could become Sailor Dolphina, Junior Sailor  
  
Neptune Beta could become Sailor Neptune, Junior Sailor Saturn Alpha could become Sailor Megaringa,  
  
Junior Sailor Saturn Beta could become Sailor Saturn, and Junior Sailor Saturn Gamma could become  
  
Sailor Florence."  
  
"Who else could have at least one different identity, if not more than one, Sylvia?"  
  
"Well, let me see here, Dorothy." She thought for a moment, then continued, "Junior Sailors Pluto  
  
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma should have new identities, as should the Beta-level Scouts from Mercury,  
  
Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, I believe. I think Junior Sailor Pluto Alpha will be Sailor Cometa, Junior Sailor  
  
Pluto Beta will be Sailor Pluto, and Junior Sailor Pluto Gamma will be Sailor Trammeyna. As for Junior  
  
Sailors Mercury Beta, Venus Beta, Mars Beta, and Jupiter Beta, I currently think they will be, respectively,  
  
the Sailors Rocketara, Aurorata, Blossom, and Daphne, if my dreams from my last sleeping period are  
  
sufficiently accurate in each of their natures."  
  
"And Corona and Eclipse?" asked Serena.  
  
"If they survive long enough to serve as Sailor Scouts in the future, I think they still will be the Sailor  
  
Scouts Corona and Eclipse. Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus, at least, if not others as well,  
  
should eventually get promoted to full Sailor Scout status, if they survive long enough to do so somehow.   
  
But I think that, first, they'll each have to be promoted out of their current Sailor Scout level as Junior Sailor  
  
Scouts, and past the Sailor Scout level of Cadet Scout, which is the Sailor Scout rank one rank higher than  
  
any of us are currently serving as Sailor Scouts in, as I'm sure most, if not all, of you already know. I think  
  
that after we get enough training with each other here on this side of the Moon, we'll soon all be promoted  
  
to the Sailor Scout level of Cadet Scout, and then we'll probably end up at the Sailor Scout Academy near  
  
Mount Serenity for a while, so that we can finish training with each other just before our enemies will  
  
eventually invade the Moon Kingdom to conquer or destroy us all, if they can. And I think that just before  
  
they get here to the Moon, we'll all be promoted to full Sailor Scout status by the necessary people here  
  
on the Moon."  
  
Then Serena changed the subject, at least slightly, when she said, "And I wonder if we'll be able  
  
to be with all our friends when they come here to the Moon."  
  
"I'm reasonably certain that many of you, if not all of you, will be able to do that. However, I don't  
  
yet know if Destiny and Bethany will be in the Moon City area of the Moon when they come here. I really  
  
hope that they are, of course, when the Negaversers actually come here. But they may or may not be for  
  
any reason whatsoever. I fear that if they aren't close enough to where Queen Serenity will be, they may  
  
be lost to us forever, and so may any other people that aren't close enough to her at such a time."  
  
"And we don't really want that to happen," said Mina.  
  
"Correct, Mina. I even fear that I'll be on the Moon when they come here. And if they come here  
  
while I'm on the Moon, then I fear that I may eventually find myself in a period of dormancy, after I return  
  
to Earth in an unplanned manner. Question is, if I do so, will I be copied on my way back to it? And if I'm  
  
copied at least once, will my Alpha version end up in the Tokyo Zone, or will it end up in the Jerusalem  
  
Zone, of my home planet? I hope that if I'm copied, my Alpha version will return to Israel again after the  
  
end of the Moon Kingdom. If I'm not copied, I wonder where I'll be spending most, if not all, of my period  
  
of dormancy."  
  
"And if you're copied, then do you think the rest of us may be too?" asked Amy.  
  
"I suppose that it's possible, of course. How likely, I'm not sure. Maybe you could give us your  
  
best guess about such things, Amy," Sylvia eventually answered.  
  
"I'd think that there's at least some chance that a strange and unexpected occurrence or series of  
  
such occurrences could happen while we're being transferred to Earth, everyone. Some of us could be lost  
  
before we are, or while we are, or we might all survive the transfer process to Earth. I'm not exactly sure  
  
at the current time. It's hard to predict everything that might happen in such a situation, if and whenever  
  
it came to pass for us. We could all end up in different dimensions, and never be able to find each other  
  
easily enough, or at least not for a considerable length of time. For all I know, we could end up in any, or  
  
more than one, of at least fifty to sixty alternate realities, dimensions, or timelines. We could all end up  
  
together in the same place, or we could all end up in places where we'll never see each other again, even  
  
in a million lifetimes. I don't really know. All I know is that it's hard to predict the future for most people,  
  
and that it's hard to handle both the past and the present at times in each of our lives. The past determines  
  
everything that comes after it, and the present is all that we currently have control of to at least some  
  
degree. We influence the present by considering the past, and we make the future by how we handle both  
  
the past and the present. The things in the past can't yet be changed, I believe, if they'll ever be able to be  
  
changed by anyone, but we can surely do what we can to protect the past, the present, and the future, from  
  
any unnecessary interference from anyone who is not working under God's orders in them, if it's at all  
  
possible for us to do that."  
  
"Is that what you really believe here, Amy?" asked Sylvia.  
  
"Yes, I really do believe that we can entirely make our own futures by the way we each deal with  
  
our respective pasts and our respective presents. Or at least to some degree, if at all possible, if the former  
  
is not actually able to be done at all by us somehow."  
  
"So you don't actually believe that the future is completely set in stone, in a manner of speaking,  
  
then?" This came also from Sylvia.  
  
"No, I don't, in fact. How could love be so spontaneous for people, as it often is, if it were, as you  
  
say, 'Set in stone', Sylvia?"  
  
"I see what you mean. But don't you normally want everything to be just a certain way whenever  
  
possible, Amy?"  
  
"Why, sure, Sylvia. But even I know that isn't always possible, of course. Even if I might prefer  
  
it to be otherwise. I'd like to know as much as I can about any guy I might actually ever want to date  
  
sometime in the future, of course. But Serena and a number of other people in my life think that I should  
  
at least sometimes go with the flow, and see what comes my way that I might least expect to come to me  
  
in it. I think they mean in at least potential romantic relationships, if not in other parts of my life as well."  
  
"That's right, Amy. As Serena, Lita, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, myself, and several other people who  
  
are also parts of your life have at least occasionally tried to tell you, Amy, we think that you should at least  
  
do that in potential romantic relationships, if not other parts of your life as well. Not all the time, mind you,  
  
I believe, but still quite frequently in the future, whenever possible in it," said Raye.  
  
"Understood. But I hope that you girls realize that may not often be very easy for me to do, Raye."  
  
"Sure we do, Amy. And we do actually respect you for often being just like that. But there's no  
  
reason not to go with the flow at least every so often, whenever you possibly can go with it. Yes, we know  
  
that you often prefer everything to be predictable, but life is never completely predictable, Amy. As  
  
evidence of that fact, consider this, if you will. How likely would it have been for you to leave Mercury and  
  
be here on the Moon if you hadn't been a Princess or of some other royal rank from your world? And if  
  
you'd not actually had such a rank from your own world, just how likely would it have been for you to  
  
somehow be able to leave Mercury for certain other worlds besides the Moon here in the Moon Kingdom?   
  
Plus, factor in the chances of an average Mercurian being able to meet people like us anywhere else in the  
  
Moon Kingdom. Much less somehow being able to meet actual royals from anywhere at all in the Moon  
  
Kingdom, as well?"  
  
"Not likely, on any count, I believe, if I'm not too mistaken here, Raye."  
  
"Then do you accept the fact that you possibly could have never met any of us who aren't actually  
  
from your world, if you had been just an average Mercurian?"  
  
"Yes, I see that. But just how does that prove life is unpredictable, then, Raye?"  
  
"Have you been able to do things that you never expected to be able to do in your life?"  
  
"Yes. Like see at least part of a world in another galaxy in the Universe, for instance."  
  
"And meet up with a whole lot of other people from anywhere else in the Universe, such as us, in  
  
your life?"  
  
"I suppose so, Raye."  
  
"Then that logically enough proves my current point of discussion here, I believe, Amy. Life is  
  
thereby unpredictable, at least to some degree, anyway."  
  
"I concede the current point of discussion to you here, then, Raye."  
  
Then everybody eventually finished each of their breakfasts, if they hadn't already. And as soon  
  
as Serena realized that, and dismissed them, Princesses soon began filing out of the main dining hall as soon  
  
as they could. Only a few Princesses stayed behind to clean up afterwards, of course. While the others  
  
did as they wished until they'd have to report for their next training sessions anywhere on the Rainbow  
  
Springs Palace's grounds. Serena and her sisters stayed behind with Sylvia to clean up after everyone else,  
  
and they soon had all the dishes done and put away in the necessary places elsewhere in the main dining  
  
hall. Sylvia had gathered up the dirty dishes, after they'd led Destiny and Bethany to where they'd need  
  
to do those dishes, and left them there. After Sylvia handed her each of the dirty dishes, Bethany did the  
  
washing, and Destiny the drying, of each of those dishes. After Destiny got done drying each of the dishes,  
  
Serena then put each of them away, once Destiny handed them to her.  
  
After they'd all done those dishes for a while, they all eventually finished doing them, and then  
  
Serena soon let them all go to their respective chambers for a while as well, before they'd each have to  
  
report for that morning's later training session anywhere on the grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace.   
  
She was the last of the four Princesses, then, to leave for her own chambers, once she did that. She told  
  
them as they were leaving the main dining hall, though, to be in the Palace's South Courtyard within another  
  
two or three hours, at most, before she let them leave it. Of course, she did that for all the obvious reasons  
  
here, when she did so.  
  
After she was then left alone in the main dining hall, she sat down at a table for at least a few  
  
minutes more, so that she could think about certain things in private, before she left for her own chambers  
  
elsewhere in the palace. She decided to have a few of the available robots on the Rainbow Springs  
  
Palace's grounds begin to prepare lunch for everyone. And when she decided to do that here, she also  
  
then went to a nearby storage area in the palace, and she retrieved only as many robots as she thought  
  
she'd have to program in order for them to prepare enough food for everyone else now in residence at the  
  
palace, of course. She retrieved three robots, and she then programmed them to prepare lunch for 24  
  
Princesses and two cats, of course. Though not with complete success, in fact. For when it came to  
  
programming robots to do certain tasks, she wasn't always quite successful in doing so. At least  
  
occasionally, she could program at least one robot well enough to do a task, but not most of the time, or  
  
even half the time. This time, though, she was able to do it with less difficulty than she normally had  
  
whenever she tried to program at least one robot to do at least one certain task, if not more than one such  
  
task. She programmed them all to make up quite a bit of food and drink for herself, her fellow Princesses,  
  
and both cats, before she then left the main dining hall again to finally return to her chambers again for a  
  
while. Little did she know what might or might not actually happen while she and the rest of her current  
  
companions on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds were away from the main dining hall of it, for all the  
  
obvious reasons, of course. Only time would then tell, of course, exactly what'd actually happen while that  
  
was still the case here.  
  
When she then got back to her very own Rainbow Springs Palace chambers, she spent at least the  
  
next hour or two doing whatever else she felt she had to do in them, whatever it might be. No matter what  
  
it was, she did whatever she felt needed to be done in them, while she could still do them before her next  
  
training session with Neptune Alpha. Mainly, then, she basically read her scrolls or worked on at least one  
  
thing that she was making for Lita's birthday in a few weeks, if not more than one thing for it.  
  
I really do hope that you all have enjoyed the first two stories in this particular story series, and the  
  
first fifteen chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read  
  
its related story series, of course, once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story  
  
in the series will be up shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just  
  
how long it'll still take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each  
  
story in this series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off  
  
here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise  
  
stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that  
  
matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Sylvia's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 1, 986  
  
At least a week or two later, if not longer than that, after she and other Princesses on the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds had trained with each other, Sylvia invited her fellow Princesses  
  
and both cats to a slumber party. Some, if not most, or all, of them hadn't yet ever been to one in their  
  
very own mortal lives in God's very own Universe. Certainly all the Princesses who were also  
  
Gamma-level Scouts hadn't ever been to one before, at the very least, if not also any or all of the other  
  
ones, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
Serena and her twin sisters had each never been to one before. Nor had Raye, Lita, Mina,  
  
Amy, Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan. And Chloe, Aurora, Bridget, and Beatrice hadn't either.   
  
But Ariel, Deborah, Poruzuka, and Jackie had each been to at least one before, and often with each  
  
other. As others might eventually learn in the future, if they hadn't already learned that about four of  
  
their fellow Princesses in each of their lives.  
  
Sylvia had, in her life, been to at least thirty slumber parties with other young girls from the  
  
Jerusalem area. But this would be the first one that she'd ever be at on either side of the Moon. And  
  
this would be the first of at least several other slumber parties that she'd hope to host whenever she  
  
was on the Moon for any reason whatsoever. If not the only one that she'd be hoping to host whenever  
  
she was anywhere on the Moon.  
  
After one particularly intense evening training session of hers with Neptune Gamma and other  
  
scouts on Neptune Alpha's team of Scouts, and after the subsequent evening meal, she then soon let  
  
all the other Princesses and both cats into her chambers so that she could host a slumber party with  
  
them there. Fortunately, her chambers were also large enough to make it possible for her guests to  
  
sleep in them, if they really wanted to, during that very same slumber party.  
  
Eventually, once she had accounted for all the Princesses and both cats that'd come to her  
  
chambers for that slumber party, she then had them all take up seats in it. And do that here so that  
  
they could then have their slumber party. Of course, she'd made sure that Destiny wouldn't  
  
unnecessarily bump into or trip over anything too large anywhere in her chambers before the party  
  
was even due to start. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.  
  
Eventually, then, everyone had taken seats somewhere in her chambers, even if they had to  
  
sit on the floor to do so. And when they had all settled down enough to suit her sufficiently well, she  
  
then said, "I'm now going to start a story, and I'll want someone to write it down, if they can. At least  
  
one other person will have to sign it to Bethany while we do this story, for the obvious reasons. So  
  
that's why I have so many lights burning in my chambers now."  
  
She had at least twenty lights burning in her chambers, if not more. And it was now rather  
  
bright in her chambers, because of that fact. She then continued, as she looked around her chambers  
  
at all her current companions, "When I want any of you to add to the story, I'll tell you. Whenever one  
  
of us is telling part of the story, everyone else is to remain as quiet as possible, and as still as possible,  
  
so that Bethany and Destiny can best comprehend the story with a minimum of confusion. This, of  
  
course, is for all the obvious reasons. I may walk around my chambers, at least as I tell my part of  
  
the story. When I decide to pass the story along to someone else, I'll then tap them on their right  
  
shoulder. Then I'll have them rise, unless, of course, they're Destiny or Bethany, and they'll need to  
  
continue the story from where I left off. When they rise, if needed, I'll sit down in their place. The  
  
current storyteller or tellers will be able to walk around my chambers, if they so choose, unless their  
  
current situation doesn't permit it, of course. When they choose to pass along the story to someone  
  
else, then they are to tap the necessary person or cat on their right shoulders, and sit down in their  
  
spots, if at all possible."  
  
"Understood," all her guests soon said, of course. Even Bethany and Destiny did so. Even  
  
though they likely had to go through at least one interpreter, for the obvious reasons, of course. And  
  
then Sylvia stopped about two feet from where Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, and Serena were sitting on  
  
her bed in her chambers. She looked at all five of them, and then at the rest of their current  
  
companions in her chambers.  
  
Then she said, "I think it's time I begin this story. But first, I need a volunteer to copy it down  
  
in at least one scroll as it gets told by me and anyone else who wants to tell part of it."  
  
Amy volunteered almost immediately for that task. And she'd continue to do it at least until  
  
it came time for her to tell part of the story, if she really wanted to tell at least part of it. This story  
  
would probably be at least the first of many, if things went well enough for all the Princesses and both  
  
cats. At least for a certain yet-unknown length of time, if not forever. Of course, when things started  
  
really heating up, in a manner of speaking, for them all, they all might not be able to have any more  
  
slumber parties with each other. Or at least not for a very long time, if they all someday ever met each  
  
other again at least once more anytime in the future. However near or distant that future might be for  
  
them all, in fact. She then received an empty scroll from Sylvia's own store of such scrolls. And shed  
  
prepared to copy all the words of that story down, for all the obvious reasons. At least until it was  
  
time for her to tell part of it, if she ever wanted to tell part of it at all to any or all of her current  
  
companions in Sylvia's own Rainbow Springs Palace chambers.  
  
When Sylvia was absolutely sure that Amy was then ready to begin copying down the  
  
beginning of the story now in question, she wasted no further time in delaying the beginning of that  
  
story. She then said, "Once upon a time, in what I believe you'd refer to as the days of Queen Abigail  
  
I, on a world much like that of Earth, there was a young girl named Sirashiki, and she came from the  
  
land of Yalisomia on that world. She was the first of many to explore other nearby worlds in her own  
  
Galaxy, which was the Nujara Galaxy. If not also any other worlds in other galaxies besides her own.   
  
The Nujara Galaxy was a galaxy much like that of the Milky Way Galaxy. But it was also rather  
  
elliptical in nature. And it had eighteen barred arms on it scattered rather randomly on its immense  
  
innermost surface area. If not also within it."  
  
She continued adding to the story for at least one hour. Then she passed the story along to  
  
Raye. Raye continued the story from the exact place where Sylvia left off. And then she added to it  
  
for at least another thirty or so minutes, before passing it off to Serena.  
  
Serena took the story and ran with it, in a manner of speaking, for at least forty or so minutes,  
  
before eventually passing it off to her sisters. While Destiny spoke, Serena translated for Bethany,  
  
and while Bethany signed, Serena translated for Destiny, of course. Amy was still writing down the  
  
story, wondering when she'd be passed it by someone else. When Bethany and Destiny got tired of  
  
adding to the story, Bethany then rose up with Destiny, and led her to Amy, as she headed that  
  
direction herself too. Then they both touched Amy's right shoulder, with Destiny doing it first, and  
  
Bethany doing it second, due to the fact that Destiny was older than Bethany, of course. After they  
  
did that, Amy then passed the detail of recording the story off to Raye, who'd earlier sat down in  
  
Serena's spot in Sylvia's chambers, of course.  
  
Amy then added to the story for at least another hour, until Sylvia decided that they should call  
  
at least a temporary end to the storytelling in her chambers. And she did that so that they could all  
  
get enough sleep before they had to train together again elsewhere on the grounds of the Rainbow  
  
Springs Palace. She had Raye mark the scroll in the necessary place, and make a removable mark  
  
to let everyone know that it was still Amy's turn to add to the story, if she'd want to continue telling  
  
it the first chance she got to resume telling it to all of her current companions in Sylvia's own  
  
chambers. Raye did as Sylvia told her to do in that regard. And after doing so, Sylvia then allowed  
  
her guests to retire to their sleeping bags in her chambers, if they really wanted to, for all the obvious  
  
reasons, of course. And all of her guests soon did so, just before she did the same as well. All of  
  
them were eventually asleep not long after Sylvia had called at least a temporary end to the  
  
storytelling in her chambers, if not a permanent end to it, as it related at least partly, if not totally, to  
  
the story currently in question there.  
  
In the next chapter for this story, Lita will get pleasantly surprised around and on her next  
  
birthday. How so? You'll have to read to find out, readers! I really do hope that you all have enjoyed  
  
the first two stories in this particular story series, and the first sixteen chapters of this third story, if  
  
you've actually gotten this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course,  
  
once I put even more of it up here. The other chapters of this third story in the series will be up  
  
shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still  
  
take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this  
  
series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here.   
  
Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise  
  
stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that  
  
matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Lita's Chambers In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 4, 986 - December 5, 986  
  
Periodically, then, over at least the next few nights, after they'd all had their suppers, Sylvia  
  
and the rest of the Princesses would host slumber parties of their own, whenever possible. During  
  
each of those slumber parties, they often continued to add to the story that Sylvia had just started not  
  
long before. Most of the contributing to that story was done by Sylvia, due to the fact that she was  
  
the first one to start telling the story in question, of course.  
  
They continued doing this at least until the night before Lita's birthday began, if not longer  
  
than that. By now, the story was already in its third scroll, with most of the copying of it being done  
  
by Amy. And with the end of that third scroll coming up rather quickly, for the related telling of that  
  
story had been going on for at least twelve to fifteen hours spread out over that length of time, after  
  
Sylvia had originally begun telling it in her Rainbow Springs chambers.  
  
It was now an hour before local midnight on the night before Lita's birthday. And Lita  
  
currently had the floor, in a manner of speaking, as it related to that story. Which meant, of course,  
  
that she was now adding to it. While Raye was writing down everything that Lita was now adding  
  
to it, as quickly as Raye could write it down easily enough. Periodically, Lita would have to pause  
  
at least long enough for Raye to write down the necessary words for the story, for all the obvious  
  
reasons, of course.  
  
Lita was currently telling the story's fiftieth chapter, and she was now saying, "Sailor Bellasina  
  
then soon encountered several monsters attacking the Peruscotia Palace in Sylleskita, and they were  
  
rather powerful, from what she could currently tell. So she found Sailor Clarissa elsewhere in the  
  
Sylleskita area of Scoslanor, a country that shared a common border with Yalisomia on her world.   
  
Sylleskita was only about five Terran statute miles away from the Scoslanoran border with Yalisomia,  
  
and about twenty or so such miles away from where Sailor Bellasina came from in Yalisomia as  
  
Sirashiki, an average Yalisomian peasant girl. But she'd still had reason to meet at least once before  
  
in her life with the young Scoslanoran Princess Catrimusa. For her parents were traders that traded  
  
on both sides of the Edislasol River near Sylleskita. They'd met just after Sirashiki had found herself  
  
in a rather isolated series of caves near Sylleskita, and had stumbled onto a crystal called the Juniper  
  
Crystal, as she'd later find out. After Sirashiki had found that crystal, and began handling it, she  
  
eventually began to feel herself disappearing from where she was in those caves. As she did so,  
  
Princess Catrimusa saw her doing so somewhere nearby in those caves. And not yet understanding  
  
why Sirashiki was disappearing from them, she then tried to keep her from disappearing in a very  
  
strange manner like she was now doing. And while she did so, she too began disappearing from them  
  
herself. As did all the things that she and Sirashiki had with them when they'd begun disappearing  
  
from those caves, as a matter of fact."  
  
Lita took a sip of some milk and ate a few cookies for a few moments, before she continued  
  
adding to the story. She then said, "After they'd both disappeared from those caves together, they  
  
eventually materialized in a jungle halfway across their world. In that place, Princess Catrimusa  
  
found another crystal called the Hummingbird Crystal. And when she began handling it, a series of  
  
mirrors began appearing around her and Sirashiki. People that they'd never met before in their lives  
  
then eventually began coming out of those mirrors. Among them, was the current ruler of the Moon  
  
Kingdom, who was, if I'm not mistaken, Queen Abigail I, who ruled about one hundred or so years  
  
before the beginning of the Silver Millennium. And Queen Abigail I then soon said, as soon as she'd  
  
found a nearby bench to sit on that'd appeared within the circle made by the aforementioned mirrors,  
  
'I am Queen Abigail of the Moon Kingdom in the Sol solar system of the Milky Way Galaxy. And  
  
I see that you both have now found the Juniper and Hummingbird Crystals that have been missing  
  
from our Moon Kingdom for 850 of our years. If you'd both allow us to have them back, I and my  
  
current companions will make you Sailor Scouts, as our reward to you two for returning them both  
  
to us. Supposing, of course, that you both want to become Sailor Scouts.' Of course, Sirashiki and  
  
Catrimusa were curious to see what that'd entail for the both of them. And they asked Queen Abigail  
  
what it'd mean for them to both become Sailor Scouts, as well as what they'd be able to do as Sailor  
  
Scouts for as long as they were also Sailor Scouts in their respective lives. So Abigail then told them  
  
both what they wanted and needed to know from her. And her current companions also did the same,  
  
whenever necessary. Eventually, then, Abigail had made copies of the crystals in question, by using  
  
her Imperium Silver Crystal to do so. Then, after she asked them if they both wanted to become Sailor  
  
Scouts, and they both said they'd be honored to become Sailor Scouts, Abigail initiated them both as  
  
Sailor Scouts. She did that with her making Sirashiki a Sailor Scout first, then Catrimusa moments  
  
later. She made Sirashiki the Sailor Scout Bellasina. And she made Catrimusa the Sailor Scout  
  
Clarissa. Not long after she did so, she and her fellow Moon Kingdom people then stepped back into  
  
their mirrors, and left the scene. After Abigail left them, Sailors Bellasina and Clarissa had begun  
  
training in that jungle for a while, until they were eventually able to make their way out of it easily  
  
enough to allow them to get to a port in the country where they'd found themselves. Some length of  
  
time later, they eventually made it back to their own continent. And after doing that, they eventually  
  
parted from each other, promising to stay in touch with each other as often as possible in the future,  
  
God willing, of course. And they then often were away from each other for at least the next few years.   
  
At least until some trouble arose from monsters in the area of the Peruscotia Palace in Sylleskita. She  
  
then found Catrimusa elsewhere in the area as Catrimusa was training in one of her underground  
  
retreats there as Sailor Clarissa. She found her in a place that only she and Catrimusa knew that  
  
Catrimusa was currently using as a secret place for her solo training as a Sailor Scout."  
  
Then, about thirty minutes later, Lita passed the story along to Poruzuka, who then ran with  
  
it until about a minute or two after local midnight, when a canister from the other side of the Moon  
  
suddenly flew through an open window in Lita's Rainbow Springs Palace chambers. When Poruzuka  
  
saw that canister fly into Lita's chambers, she then stopped telling the story as quickly as she could  
  
do that. Poruzuka then had Raye stop recording the story immediately, if Raye hadn't already done  
  
so. Raye had immediately stopped recording in the story's fourth scroll, just as soon as she realized  
  
that Poruzuka had stopped telling it. Then she left a removable marker in that place, of course, while  
  
Lita had her roll up the story's fourth scroll, which had been begun not long after Lita had passed the  
  
story off to Poruzuka. When Raye did that, Lita then brought the canister to one of the larger tables  
  
in her chambers. For it was rather large, as if it'd possibly have quite a few things in it.  
  
As soon as Lita did so, everyone else soon gathered around that table in her chambers, for all  
  
the obvious reasons, of course. And they only backed off from it when Lita insisted that they do so,  
  
of course. She wanted and needed enough space to be able to handle the contents of that canister in  
  
the required manners, of course. And if they were too close to that table, she'd possibly not be able  
  
to do so without possibly bumping into or accidentally smacking her companions with any or all of  
  
the contents of that canister. So, even if they'd prefer not to do so, they all soon backed up enough to  
  
suit Lita to a sufficient enough degree.  
  
As soon as they did so, Lita then eventually began opening and withdrawing the contents of  
  
that canister, starting, of course, with all the things near or at the top of that canister. The canister  
  
turned out to be from Serenity and a number of other people that Lita knew well enough in her life,  
  
but mainly from Serenity, Daniel, and Darien, who probably knew her the best in her life except for  
  
Lita's relatives and her fellow Princesses from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. This, of course, was  
  
for all the obvious reasons.  
  
Lita then soon had the canister completely empty of all the things that'd just come her way in  
  
it. Among them were two scrolls. One was marked for her, and one for Serena. Lita opened the one  
  
for her partway, and after she did so, she soon silently read, "Before you read any further in this scroll,  
  
Lita, Serena is to read her scroll from me to her aloud, as Amy translates the words of it into sign  
  
language for Bethany's benefit." Of course, Lita told Serena that before she could read any further in  
  
her own scroll, Serena had to open hers and read it aloud to all their current companions in Lita's  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace chambers.  
  
So Serena opened her scroll, and read aloud, of course, "Serena, you girls are to report to the  
  
Double Earth Palace in Crescent for a period of at least one week, starting on December 21, 986.   
  
You'll all need to bring at least one gown for a ball, or a series of balls, around that time. You'll then  
  
be met in the South Garden of that palace by Princes Daniel, Darien, and Rolando, and myself, at  
  
least, if not by others as well. You'll also be excused from your training sessions for as long as I deem  
  
necessary while you're all on the Moon City side of the Moon. We'll then spend a few days, at most,  
  
at the Double Earth Palace there, before we return to the Imperial Palace by Christmas Eve. We'll all  
  
remain in residence there, at least until I decide that it's again time for you to resume your training  
  
sessions again on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. And we'll hopefully have a lot of fun while  
  
you're here on the Moon City side of the Moon, if all goes sufficiently according to plan for all of us,  
  
of course. Supposing, of course, that it's truly God's will that we do so, for at least a little while."  
  
Serenity didn't say much more than that, before she signed off in Serena's scroll. After Serena  
  
informed all of her companions of that fact, she then rolled up the scroll that her mother had sent her  
  
in Lita's canister, for the obvious reasons, of course.  
  
When Lita saw her do so well enough, then Lita began reading her scroll again rather silently,  
  
so that everyone else wouldn't know what Serenity was saying to her in it, if Serenity didn't want her  
  
to tell them what she was saying to her in it. Periodically, Serenity did allow Lita to share certain  
  
information with all of her current companions in Lita's chambers, but not always. Eventually, then,  
  
Lita did finish reading her scroll, and she rolled it up again, of course. That done, she then soon  
  
opened a somewhat large tin of recently-made cookies straight from the main dining hall in the  
  
Crystal Palace. Cookies which had been made, as a matter of fact, by Queen Serenity and several of  
  
the Princes who were currently in the Moon City area. Most of them were likely chocolate chip  
  
cookies, while others were filled with raisins, dates, and many other items, as Serenity and her fellow  
  
bakers of those recently-made cookies had decided to put in any of the cookies currently in question.   
  
In that tin of recently-made cookies, there were about 100 or so cookies, give or take about a dozen  
  
or so either way. Certainly not more than about 120 or so cookies, though, in any case. After she saw  
  
what was in that tin, she soon closed it up again, so that the others with her now wouldn't ask her for  
  
any of them for at least a little while longer, most likely.  
  
Besides the scrolls and the cookies, there were at least two dozen roses in the canister, as well  
  
as a few wrapped gifts of various sizes that Serenity had told Lita not to open in the presence of any  
  
of her current companions in her chambers. Lita took those things into her hidden alcove, and soon  
  
had them socked away where not even any of her current companions would likely be able to find  
  
them easily enough. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. Then she returned to the main  
  
area of her chambers, after which she was soon asked to transform into her own Sailor Scout state of  
  
being as Junior Sailor Jupiter. Not knowing why yet, she did so, even though she didn't understand  
  
why her current companions would want her to do that at all.  
  
As she did so, all her fellow Princesses did the same, and then they blindfolded her. Her  
  
companions then gathered up at least a few of the things that they had with them currently in Lita's  
  
chambers, and enough of Lita's things as well, after they did so. Then all of them led her to the room  
  
where they'd all first come to the Rainbow Springs Palace, and moments later, after Moon first cleared  
  
it with Serenity in the necessary manner, Moon and Neptune Alpha soon set coordinates on a console  
  
there for a location still on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. That done, they began assembling  
  
themselves on the necessary tiles in that place, Even Jupiter, of course. Moments later, all of them  
  
then began teleporting from that place to the aforementioned location elsewhere on the Rainbow  
  
Springs side of the Moon. Within five minutes after they began doing so, they all materialized near  
  
a beach elsewhere on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. And so did all their things. It was a  
  
somewhat bright lunar night when they did so. And they'd gone to a location roughly northwest from  
  
Rainbow Springs when they teleported from the Rainbow Springs Palace there. The Earth was rather  
  
high in the sky. And a rather bright comet was heading in a direction that'd make it cross the Earth  
  
in the lunar skies above that location within the next few hours, at most. This comet was Comet Lita,  
  
in fact. And it normally showed up about every two years around Lita's birthday. And this was the  
  
case now, as well.  
  
They'd all decided to bring Lita to the place where they now were, so that Lita could best see  
  
her comet as it crossed the Earth in the lunar skies above them. They were now near the Night Owl  
  
Beach on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon, which was a beach in the area of Mount Chrysalis  
  
there on that side of the Moon. Mount Chrysalis was about five Terran statute miles away. And it  
  
was still visible, due to the Earthlight now shining on it. The beach was on the Chrysanthemum Sea  
  
on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. And it was to the east of that sea on the Moon. Mount  
  
Chrysalis was about five miles further east of where they'd all materialized near that beach, then.  
  
After they'd all soon materialized near that very beach, Moon then said, "Jupiter, please close  
  
your eyes until we say otherwise. We need to remove your blindfold. And we don't want your eyes  
  
to be suddenly subjected to bright lights when we take off your blindfold." So Jupiter closed her eyes,  
  
and then Moon slowly removed her blindfold. After doing so, she had Jupiter very slowly open them,  
  
for the obvious reasons, of course. As Jupiter did so, her eyes adjusted just as slowly to the darkness  
  
that was still around her and all her current companions. And also to the light from the Earth and the  
  
aforementioned comet, of course.  
  
Jupiter soon found herself on a little hill near that beach, and then she said, "Moon, what are  
  
you girls up to now?"  
  
"Look above your head, Jupiter, and you'll see why we brought you here to this place. We  
  
brought you here to see something you haven't likely seen for about two or so years. And to make it  
  
possible for you to go swimming with us, if you want to, for a while."  
  
"Where are we, then, Moon?"  
  
"Near Night Owl Beach in the area of Mount Chrysalis on the Rainbow Springs side of the  
  
Moon."  
  
"Of course, in order to go swimming, I'll need a swimsuit."  
  
"Already taken care of, Jupiter. We brought at least one of your swimsuits with us when we  
  
brought you here."  
  
"You got some of my things while I was blindfolded?"  
  
"Yes, but not anything you'd not likely ever want us to get into, of course, Jupiter."  
  
"Next question is this, then. Do we still need to be in each of our respective Sailor Scout  
  
states, Moon?"  
  
"Not until about six in the morning, Rainbow Springs time, at the very earliest, Jupiter.   
  
Which'll hopefully allow us at least five or so hours of us doing whatever we want to do here before  
  
we have to return to Rainbow Springs again, for the obvious reasons, of course. However, Destiny  
  
and Bethany should probably stay in theirs, so that they don't hurt themselves while we're all  
  
swimming, for all the obvious reasons, of course."  
  
"Has Queen Serenity actually cancelled our morning training session for today, Moon, by any  
  
chance? And if not, when are we supposed to begin it?"  
  
"No, but she has postponed its start about two hours past its normal starting time, if not more.   
  
She wants us training by two hours before local noon, if at all possible, though, Jupiter."  
  
Then Moon had Jupiter and her other companions follow her to a large cabin near the beach,  
  
and bring their things along with them to it. So she and all of her companions did so. Even Corona  
  
and Eclipse did so. And after they got there, all of the Scouts soon changed into their swimsuits.   
  
Even Corona and Eclipse, who stayed in their respective Sailor Scout states of being while their fellow  
  
Scouts transformed out of each of theirs.  
  
Eventually, then, all of them went to the beach. And they all soon began swimming in it there.   
  
Except for Luna and Artemis, who normally didn't swim very well in anything larger than a small  
  
pond or lake in their lives. Even Corona and Eclipse did so, while they were still in their Sailor Scout  
  
states of being. Corona had left one of her pairs of glasses in the cabin. And the other pair, which  
  
she was now wearing, would, depending on whether or not she was in the nearby water, would be  
  
either a pair of glasses or a pair of goggles, as the situation might require her eyewear to be in it. This  
  
would be the case so she could still see while she was in the water or out of it. That was because  
  
she'd decided to put her power locket on the strap that was now running between the earpieces of the  
  
glasses she was now wearing, which was the pair with black walnut wood earpieces. She hung that  
  
power locket just below a ponytail she'd put her hair in right after supper the previous night. Yet still  
  
where she could reach it easily enough, of course.  
  
Lita and all her fellow Moon Kingdom humanoids then swam for a little while, at least until  
  
her comet began to really get close to the Earth in the lunar skies. Then they quickly hurried back  
  
onto the beach, and onto nearby benches on it. Several moments later, as the last of them sat down  
  
on those benches, Comet Lita then got within a degree of the Earth in the lunar skies above their  
  
heads. For at least the next few minutes, if not at least the next hour, they all then watched Comet  
  
Lita cross the Earth, as most, if not all, of them had planned to do so. And they did this at least until  
  
Comet Lita then got too far away from them to see it easily enough, because a large cloud had just  
  
passed in front of it while they were still watching Comet Lita. The cloud wasn't very thick here, in  
  
fact. But it was still rather large. For it covered at least a bit of the sky as it headed toward the  
  
opposite horizon from the direction that it'd come their way at first. Which then meant that it headed  
  
primarily to the south, which would be to their left, due to the fact that they'd been facing mainly  
  
toward the west, in order to see Lita's comet for a while.  
  
After Comet Lita vanished from their sight behind that cloud, Serena and her sisters then  
  
asked all their companions to return to the cabin for a while. So they did so, and then Corona and  
  
Eclipse eventually did transform out of their respective Sailor Scout states of being again. Of course,  
  
when they did so, Destiny became blind again, and Bethany became deaf again. As they returned to  
  
their usual non-Sailor Scout states, Destiny's eyes turned gray again. And Bethany's ears, essentially,  
  
turned themselves off, at least in a manner of them allowing Bethany to hear what all her other  
  
companions were now saying as they were all in the area of Mount Chrysalis on the Rainbow Springs  
  
side of the Moon.  
  
When Princess Destiny was in her Sailor Scout state as Junior Sailor Corona, her eyes were  
  
usually a rather attractive medium brown color. But they could sometimes lighten, or darken,  
  
themselves, or even change their main color, as her situation as a Sailor Scout might ever require them  
  
to do at a particular time whenever she was in her Sailor Scout state as Junior Sailor Corona.   
  
Normally, though, they'd not do either of those things whenever she was in her Sailor Scout state of  
  
being as Junior Sailor Corona. She didn't ever have to think about changing her eye color. For her  
  
body would generally do it without any prompting from her mind or heart to do so, if the need ever  
  
arose for her eyes to change from their normal medium brown color that she'd have for them whenever  
  
she was in her Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Corona. She'd not yet had any reason to  
  
change her eye color from its master color that it'd had whenever she'd previously been in her Sailor  
  
Scout state of being, nor had her body or her eyes. But that might not always be the case, of course,  
  
for all the obvious reasons. Even if it wasn't always the case, she still wouldn't have to ever think  
  
about changing her eye color if she didn't want to.  
  
But when she wasn't in her Sailor Scout state, her eyes were always gray again, and she was  
  
completely blind, at least in a physical sense. That didn't mean her mind's eyes were blind, of course.   
  
It just meant that her physical eyes were unseeing again, whenever she was not Junior Sailor Corona,  
  
and she was just Princess Destiny, in her own mortal life that she was now spending in God's very  
  
own Universe, of course.  
  
After she went blind again, Serena tied her left wrist to Bethany's right wrist, so that Bethany  
  
could again lead Destiny wherever the need arose for them both to go soon enough. That done, the  
  
girls then had Lita close her eyes, after having her sit at a rather large table in the cabin. And Raye  
  
and Amy soon brought out a large cake with the help of Serena and Mina. The four aforementioned  
  
Princesses then set it down on the table just in front of Lita. They did that so that Lita could blow out  
  
the candles that were on it, once they were lit from a torch on the nearest wall of the cabin, or from  
  
Raye's fingers, as the case might be, for the obvious reasons, of course. That done, the four of them  
  
soon had Lita open her eyes rather slowly, as everyone then said, as loudly or as enthusiastically as  
  
they each could, "Happy tenth birthday, Princess Lita!"  
  
Lita wasn't surprised that all of her companions had done so. But to be kind, she didn't act  
  
like she wasn't surprised at all. But she actually acted as if she hadn't expected them to do that at all.   
  
To tell the whole truth of the matter, she wasn't really expecting a surprise birthday party. But she  
  
was expecting that they'd say to her what they just had all said to her, of course. For she already knew  
  
that it was now her birthday, for the obvious reasons. And she was now glad that she'd made it to  
  
there, at least, in her life, of course.  
  
After they all had wished her a happy birthday, Lita said, "Thank you, girls and cats. I just  
  
hope that I have a whole lot more of them in the future. At least while we're still here in the Moon  
  
Kingdom, that is."  
  
Then she prepared to blow out the ten candles on her cake. But first, she made a wish that she  
  
and all her friends and relatives would survive the coming of the Negaverse to the Moon Kingdom,  
  
if at all possible. Granted, she also knew such a thing might not be possible, for all the obvious  
  
reasons, of course. But she still wished that she and all of the aforementioned people would survive  
  
the eventual coming of the Negaverse to the Moon Kingdom. After she made such a wish, and kept  
  
it to herself, she then bent forward, so that she'd be able to blow out those candles on her cake, and  
  
she blew them all out in one attempt.  
  
Then her companions brought her some other gifts that they'd had socked away in the cabin  
  
for some time. It took her about an hour to open them all. And most of the gifts were scrolls with  
  
stories on them that'd either been written or bought by certain companions of hers. Other gifts  
  
included at least one bracelet, as well as other pieces of jewelry. And some cooking-related items  
  
were also among the gifts that she also received while she was in the cabin with all of her current  
  
companions. After she received all those gifts, then, she soon put them with the rest of her things  
  
that'd been brought to the area some length of time before, of course. That done, Lita thanked all her  
  
current companions for her new gifts. And they all smiled big smiles when she did so.  
  
Eventually, though, everyone did have to return to the Rainbow Springs area of the Moon.   
  
So they then gathered up all their things, if they'd not yet done so. And they returned with all of them  
  
to the place where they'd materialized near the beach. That done, they all soon transformed into their  
  
respective Sailor Scout states of being, if they hadn't done so already. Of course, only the Princesses  
  
would actually change their look here. This was because Luna and Artemis would stay in cat form  
  
while their two dozen companions transformed into their respective Sailor Scout states of being.   
  
Serena was the first to transform into her Sailor Scout state, and Winnie was the last. But eventually  
  
all of the Princesses were in their respective Sailor Scout states of being. Even Princess Sylvia, who,  
  
of course, became Junior Sailor Skyhorse again.  
  
When that was done, Moon then had everyone stand in the same locations in which they'd  
  
earlier materialized near the beach, so that they'd all return to the exact same coordinates that they'd  
  
left the grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace from. Of course, because Jupiter had been blindfolded  
  
when she showed up near the Night Owl Beach in the area of Mount Chrysalis, she'd have to be  
  
blindfolded. That was so that the necessary security system for the Rainbow Springs Palace wouldn't  
  
think her to be an intruder, instead of someone that was allowed to be there, for all the obvious  
  
reasons. So even though Moon would've preferred not to have to do it again, she blindfolded Jupiter  
  
once more. That done, she then contacted the security system for the Rainbow Springs Palace, and  
  
accessed it. She then lowered the shields for it so that she and the rest of her current companions  
  
could teleport into it again, of course. She set a time limit of ten minutes, at most, for the shields to  
  
remain down so that they could teleport into it again. After which the shields would automatically  
  
kick back on to protect the palace and its grounds as well as they possibly could protect them.  
  
That done, Moon soon had Luna and Artemis take up positions near her, of course. Then she  
  
began the necessary teleportation process by saying her Sailor Teleport phrase. And after she did so,  
  
all her fellow Scouts did the same, no matter who they were. Skyhorse was the last of the Scouts to  
  
do so here. For she'd been the last to do so before.  
  
Moments later, then, all of them materialized in the exact same locations that they'd been in  
  
when they'd left the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds in like manner. When they all realized that  
  
well enough, Moon then said, "You have a few hours free before we have breakfast, at most. I  
  
suggest that you all use them as wisely as you can. I don't necessarily care how you use them, in fact.   
  
But I still do suggest that you all use them as wisely as you can. I'll want you in the main dining hall  
  
within two or three hours. I think it's now about five or so hours past midnight here in the Rainbow  
  
Springs area of the Moon. So I think I'll want you in the main dining hall no later than three hours  
  
before local noon. Maybe even sooner than that. Because Mom wants us training by two hours  
  
before local noon, if at all possible, I may call you sooner than three hours before local noon. Just so  
  
that we can all have enough time for us to eat all our breakfasts in it, before we all have to start  
  
training again here as Sailor Scouts." Moon said this just before she and the other Scouts transformed  
  
out of their respective Sailor Scout states again.  
  
All the other Princesses soon said to Serena, after they too had transformed out of those Sailor  
  
Scout states of theirs, "Understood, Serena." Then they soon began leaving the room, so that they  
  
each could have at least a little time to themselves, if they wanted it. The last one of them to leave  
  
was Sylvia. And she stuck around a few minutes after all the other Princesses except for Serena and  
  
herself had left it. Even Luna and Artemis had left it by then. Serena and Sylvia sat down on a bench  
  
near the console that Serena and Poruzuka had earlier accessed to allow the Scouts to teleport onto  
  
and off the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds. And they soon began talking to each other for a  
  
while.  
  
In the next chapter for this story, Serena will converse at least somewhat with Sylvia, and  
  
others as well. But mainly with Sylvia, whenever possible. Also there will be at least some training  
  
that'll have to be done as well by any of the Scouts who'll be present on the Rainbow Springs  
  
Palace's grounds, in fact. But for you to know all of what will go on in the next chapter, you;'ll just  
  
have to wait and see. And you probably will need or want to review for this story if you want it to be  
  
uploaded quicker than it has been of late, I think.  
  
Serena and several others will be in this story's next chapter, as well, people. How so? You'll  
  
all just have to read to find out, readers! I really do hope that you've enjoyed the first two stories in  
  
this particular story series, and the first seventeen chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten  
  
this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more  
  
of it up here. The last eight chapters after the next one of this third story in the series will be up  
  
shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still  
  
take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this  
  
series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here.   
  
Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise  
  
stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that  
  
matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
A Room Somewhere In The Rainbow Springs Palace  
  
Rainbow Springs, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 5, 986  
  
They did so, after they were as sure as they could currently be that nobody else would bother  
  
them for at least a little while, if not longer, of course. Serena was eventually the first of the two  
  
young Princesses to speak, and she soon asked, "What's on your mind, Sylvia?"  
  
"Boys, Serena. Boys, as a matter of fact."  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"I'm missing Rolando, and maybe even someone you really like a whole lot, Serena."  
  
"Darien?"  
  
"Of course I mean him, Serena. Who else do you know from the Earth well enough besides  
  
him, when it comes to males from my world?"  
  
"Nobody, I suppose, Sylvia. I don't know Rolando as well as you do, I believe, but I'm  
  
reasonably sure that isn't the case so much for me and Darien, of course."  
  
"Because you've known him for most, if not all, of your life?"  
  
"Yes, because that's the case, I'm saying that I'm reasonably sure that isn't the case so much  
  
for me and Darien. I'm going to marry him someday, I think. Though even I don't yet know when  
  
that day will be, and nobody else who's mortal in my life knows either, if it'll ever actually come to  
  
pass, of course, Sylvia. Not even my dear honey Darien."  
  
"And if you do actually marry him, as you think that you will?"  
  
"Then I think that I'd probably not all that be surprised to have a daughter also named Serena,  
  
but who is nicknamed 'Rini', Sylvia."  
  
"And do you think that you and Darien would be good parents for Rini in the future?"  
  
"I think so, or at least, I hope so. Darien won't likely be able to fight forever, for some reason  
  
I'm not yet sure of, if I'll ever be sure of that reason. And if so, then others may have to fight to protect  
  
our new Moon Kingdom, if we have a new Moon Kingdom to rule in the future. I don't know if I'll  
  
be among those people that may have to fight. But I hope that nobody will have to fight again at least  
  
once more in the future, after we have Rini. I realize that if we end up in the 20th Century, we'll likely  
  
have to fight the Negaverse and other beings from elsewhere in the Universe. But I hope that isn't the  
  
case for us, if we later end up in the 30th Century, whether on Earth or elsewhere in the known  
  
Universe, as of that time period, Sylvia."  
  
"And when do you expect to have Rini, if you ever do?"  
  
"Perhaps sometime in the 30th Century, Sylvia, if we ever get there. I don't know if I'm  
  
wrong, of course. But I still think that she'll be both conceived and born in the 30th Century,  
  
somewhere in the general, if not the local, or immediate, area of Crystal Tokyo anywhere on Earth."  
  
"Where do you think this Crystal Tokyo will be located on Earth?" asked Sylvia.  
  
"You know where Darien's people are building up Edo, or at least a neighborhood near there?"  
  
"Sure, I do know about that, Serena. What about it?"  
  
"Well, I expect that it'll eventually be part of Edo, if it isn't already. And that Edo will change  
  
its name to Tokyo. After a time, we may end up there, or at least some of us might, and we'll be there  
  
for a time in the 20th Century, if not also at least some time in the 21st Century. After we do so, we  
  
may eventually return to our containers for a time, so that we can eventually end up in the 30th  
  
Century. I think that we may end up spending a long time in our canisters over the next two  
  
millennia, if not longer than that. I think that Tokyo might also possibly be attacked by beings not  
  
from the Negaverse while we're in our containers. And most, if not all, of it will be destroyed by a  
  
super-powerful device of some kind. After a time, if such a thing ever happens, I suspect a new  
  
Tokyo will eventually rise from the resulting ashes, if there are any ashes from its previous destruction  
  
that last at least that long, by the time that we awake again from our sleeping in our containers. I  
  
suspect that there's a very good possibility that all the things that'll be around in that area, when we're  
  
in the 20th Century, will be destroyed in that attack, or at least most of them will be. By the 30th  
  
Century, then, I think a new Tokyo will come into existence. And that particular Tokyo will be what  
  
we might call Crystal Tokyo in the 30th Century. I suspect that after Crystal Tokyo comes into  
  
existence, Crystal Tokyo will be the second-most important city in the world, after a New Jerusalem  
  
comes into existence elsewhere on it. I think that by that time, Jesus Christ will finally come to rule  
  
the entire Universe that God created so long ago."  
  
"So you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?"  
  
"Yes, I do. And I always will, I believe. I do see possible futures, though, that have many,  
  
if not all, of us not being followers of His. And I don't know how they could come to pass, at least  
  
not yet, if I ever will. I don't intend to find myself often in a Buddhist or Shinto shrine, in the future,  
  
if ever. But some of the possible futures I've seen actually seem to suggest that I and so many others  
  
often will be in them in the future."  
  
"And you don't like that."  
  
"Yes. I also see many bad people attacking quite a few people who are very close to me, in  
  
such possible futures. Like my friends. And, for some reason I can't yet explain, if I'll ever be able  
  
to explain, to anyone, I seem to often see a young girl named Molly in a number of my dreams and/or  
  
visions."  
  
"And what does this Molly look like?"  
  
"About as tall as me, and maybe you, and with shoulder-length red hair, I think. She may be  
  
my best friend in the future, or at least until I meet up with the other Princesses later, of course, if  
  
we're separated for a time after we end up on Earth later. Supposing, of course, that we ever end up  
  
there at all. I don't see you ending up in the same place that I do, though. Or at least not very often,  
  
if you're transferred to the Earth at the same time we're being transferred to it after the end of the  
  
Moon Kingdom, Sylvia."  
  
"So you think that if we both somehow survive the transfer to Earth, I might possibly find  
  
myself in a different zone of it than you might?"  
  
"Yes, I do. And if so, I think I'll miss you, if I ever remember you at all later on."  
  
"Me too, if that's also the case for me, Serena."  
  
"Of course, I don't want to see any place destroyed in which I might have spent at least part  
  
of my life in, if at all possible, Sylvia, but I realize that I might. I suspect that even Rainbow Springs  
  
will be destroyed here on the Moon. As might Moon City on the other side of the Moon. But if so,  
  
I don't think I'll be awake when the last bit of Moon City is destroyed. For I really think I'll quite  
  
possibly already be asleep in the sky near Darien when it is."  
  
"You and Darien together forever, perhaps?"  
  
"I suppose you might say that, Sylvia."  
  
"And what do you think about that possibility, if it ever comes to pass, Serena?"  
  
"I'd probably love it. I don't know yet well enough if I'd really want to live without my honey,  
  
if I didn't have to, Sylvia, though. I also strongly suspect that, if at all possible, I'll be in a state of  
  
dormancy at least twice or three times in my life, if not more. Once when we're transferred to Earth,  
  
and at least once after we are. I have this strange feeling, Sylvia, that while Crystal Tokyo is in the  
  
process of being built, I and others will be spending at least part, if not all, of a period of dormancy  
  
either elsewhere on Earth, or elsewhere in our own solar system. I'm not sure which. But if that  
  
attack comes to pass against Tokyo while we're in our second period of dormancy, and we're there,  
  
I think that we might be sent either to some other part of Earth or to somewhere else in our solar  
  
system. I believe if that eventually does come to pass for us someday, it'll then be the case for our own  
  
goods, quite possibly. And that if that's the case, it'll be that way just because if we'd actually stay  
  
where we'd been, we'd most likely not be able to eventually find ourselves in the 30th Century."  
  
"And do you think that he'd like the possibility that you'd be together forever?"  
  
"I hope that he might, at least, but I don't know if he'd like that possibility yet, if I ever will,  
  
Sylvia. I don't think he'd mind it, but I'm not sure yet, if I'll ever be sure about such a thing."  
  
"Even if he sometimes calls you something that I've sometimes heard Raye call you before,  
  
you think that you'd not mind spending forever with him, if at all possible?"  
  
"Yes, even if he ever actually calls me a 'Meatball Head' again, I really don't think that I'd  
  
mind spending forever with him, if at all possible."  
  
"You wouldn't?"  
  
"I don't think I would, Sylvia. Yes, I know he's quite a bit older than me. But I still care for  
  
him very much. And I know he does the same, somehow. Even though it may be very possible that  
  
I care for him a whole lot more than he does for me."  
  
"You mean because you're loud and boisterous, most, if not all, the time, and he's not?"  
  
"I suppose you could say that. I'm sure that there are things that he doesn't really like about  
  
me, and vice versa. But I feel that we have a strong enough friendship to maybe allow us to consider  
  
marrying each other someday in the future. Though I don't know yet when that day would be, if it  
  
ever comes to us, of course. I certainly won't jump the gun and have Rini conceived or born when  
  
we're not yet married to each other, if I can possibly avoid it, Sylvia."  
  
"I see. And I suppose Darien doesn't yet know this, Serena."  
  
"Nope. And I hope that we never have to worry about such things in the future, if we ever do  
  
fall in love with each other, Sylvia."  
  
"You're already in love with him, Serena."  
  
"No, I'm not. Just because I talk a lot about him and want to be around him so much, Sylvia,  
  
that doesn't mean that I'm in love with him at yet."  
  
"Maybe not. But the time will come, if your dreams and/or visions are accurate enough in  
  
their respective natures, I'm sure, that you'll eventually be unquestionably in love with him, if you're  
  
not already, Serena. For I've seen it happen to many a young girl or woman like us in my life.   
  
Granted, neither you nor I may yet be in love with certain Princes from my world. But if we're not,  
  
I think we eventually will be. God willing, of course, Serena."  
  
"Meaning you might fall for Rolando, and I might fall for Darien, if we each haven't yet fallen  
  
for either or both of them?"  
  
"Exactly, Serena. I seem to see him a lot in my dreams and/or visions. Just as you seem to  
  
do the same thing in yours with Darien. I feel that there is a very good possibility that we'll each fall  
  
for one of them by the likely end of your Moon Kingdom, Serena. I don't know when, where, and  
  
how, of course. But I think that is the case, nevertheless, Serena Moon. And if so, then I think there  
  
may be a very good chance that we'll each marry one of them, if it's truly God's will that we do so,  
  
someday yet in the future for us both. I don't know how good those chances are, in fact. But I just  
  
know that they might come to pass well enough for us both, if it's God's will that they do so, Serena."  
  
Then Serena and Sylvia got up from where they were sitting now in the room they'd earlier  
  
materialized in. And they gathered up all their things again, because there were other things that  
  
they'd want or need to do again before they had their breakfasts in the main dining hall of the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace. They continued their conversation a bit longer as they did those things.   
  
And after a few more minutes had passed in that room, Sylvia then left Serena alone in it again.   
  
Serena watched her Earth friend leave the room. And then she soon exited the room herself.  
  
Serena then went as quickly as she could to her chambers. And she soon took a short shower  
  
before she left her chambers for the main dining hall. She spent at least a few minutes after her short  
  
shower doing her hair, of course. And then a few minutes doing whatever else came to her mind  
  
while she was still in her Rainbow Springs Palace chambers.  
  
She showed up in the main dining hall a few minutes, at most, before other Princesses and  
  
both cats would've begun doing the same thing, if they hadn't already. And she then began putting  
  
things on all the necessary tables, whether or not other Princesses had already begun doing that as  
  
well, in the main dining hall. By the time that she was done doing that, at least, everyone else was  
  
now in the main dining hall, if they'd not already been in it when she herself had earlier arrived in it.  
  
Everyone except Serena then took their proper seats in that main dining hall, if they hadn't yet  
  
done so. And eventually she'd dished out some food and drink for everyone now with her in the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace's main dining hall. After which she then did the same for herself, of course.   
  
With that done here, she then took her own seat in the main dining hall, so that she too could eat her  
  
own breakfast in it. After she sat down, she then soon said the required blessing over all the food and  
  
drink that she'd just put on all the appropriate enough tables in the main dining hall for a few  
  
moments. That done, she finally did let everyone else begin consuming their respective breakfasts,  
  
of course.  
  
As usual, much conversation was often made as everyone at those tables consumed their  
  
respective meals, of course. Not as much as they normally would make, in fact. But still a  
  
considerable amount nevertheless. They spent quite a bit of time in conversation, but most of the  
  
time, they remained rather quiet. This was mainly, if not entirely, just because they were now trying  
  
to focus their minds on their upcoming training sessions, after having been away from them for at  
  
least a few hours, outside of their normal sleeping periods, of course.  
  
Eventually, if not immediately, then, they all finished each of their respective breakfasts. And  
  
after they'd taken all their dirty dishes to the necessary area of the main dining hall, Serena soon  
  
dismissed them from it. She did that just so they then could prepare to train again anywhere on the  
  
grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace, of course.  
  
And then she soon left the main dining hall to do the same thing, in due time. She went to her  
  
chambers for a while, and then she spent some time napping. Not all of the time remaining to her in  
  
terms of her free time before her next training session, of course. But still most of it after she returned  
  
to her chambers elsewhere in the Rainbow Springs Palace, just the same, as was often the case for  
  
here, in fact.  
  
She did this until just before she was going to have to leave her chambers again, so that she  
  
could train again as a Sailor Scout elsewhere on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds. She woke  
  
up about five minutes before she'd have to leave her chambers again, when another Princess knocked  
  
on her door. This Princess was Princess Gwendolyn. Winnie reminded her that she'd have to begin  
  
training again in very short order, after Serena woke up moments before, due to her knocking on  
  
Serena's door. Serena said, "Understood, Winnie. Will be in the South Courtyard shortly. I'll catch  
  
you later, then."  
  
Serena then hurried out of her bed, and quickly got ready to train again as a Sailor Scout. A  
  
minute before she'd have to leave her chambers again, Serena then burst out of them, slamming the  
  
door of them quite loudly as she did so. And as she did so, she also began transforming herself into  
  
Junior Sailor Moon, so as not to waste any unnecessary time in getting ready to train again as such  
  
a Sailor Scout. Then she literally flew down the required hallways she'd need to take in the palace  
  
to get to the South Courtyard on its grounds. She was in it no more than five minutes after leaving  
  
her chambers like she did. It was, in fact, just about three to five minutes quicker than she normally  
  
would take to get to that place on the palace's grounds, on good days for her. Because of that fact, it  
  
then seemed to Mercury and Mars, when they saw her enter the palace's South Courtyard, that she  
  
was in a very good mood at the current time.  
  
Mars soon said, now quite surprised here, "Wow, Moon! You got here about twice as fast as  
  
you normally do! I wonder why!"  
  
"I'll tell you later, if I can, and if I feel like it. But are you ready to rumble with Junior Sailor  
  
Neptune Alpha today, Mars?"  
  
"I've mainly been training with Junior Sailor Saturn Alpha, Moon. Why change my training  
  
partner now?"  
  
"So that you don't get into too much of a rut with your training. I'm going to be taking on  
  
Jupiter Beta for today at least, Mars. Of course, that'll mean that everyone else will change their  
  
training partners here on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds for as long as I deem necessary.   
  
Mercury, would you mind taking on your sister?"  
  
"I could do that, Serena, but what good will that do?"  
  
"I see your point. Your attacks are rather similar to each other, at least for the most part. All  
  
right, I'm pairing you up with Uranus Alpha, then, if that's all right with you."  
  
"Might as well. You're going to pair us up as you see fit anyway, Moon. So I suppose I could  
  
train with her today, at least, Moon."  
  
Then, if the other Scouts weren't yet present in the South Courtyard at that time, she paired  
  
them up when they arrived close enough to her in it. She didn't pair up the same people as she had  
  
shortly after she'd last come to the Rainbow Springs Palace with Sentinel Serenity some time before.   
  
Everyone had new partners, at least for the current day. Even Junior Sailor Skyhorse, who'd primarily  
  
been training against Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma, got a new partner, with that new partner being  
  
Junior Sailor Mercury Beta. After each pair of training partners had been chosen for both of that day's  
  
training sessions, Moon then sent each pair, not counting herself and her newest training partner, of  
  
course, to another part of the palace's grounds. That was so they could all train with each other far  
  
enough away from other pairs who were also doing the same thing elsewhere on it.  
  
From Moon on down, the members of her team faced other Scouts as she saw fit. Moon took  
  
on Jupiter Beta. Mercury took on Uranus Alpha. Mars took on Neptune Alpha. Jupiter took on  
  
Venus Beta. Venus then took on Mars Beta. Corona and Saturn Alpha faced off as well. Eclipse met  
  
Neptune Gamma. Pluto Beta did the same for Saturn Gamma, Uranus Beta did the same for Pluto  
  
Alpha, and Neptune Beta was to train with Uranus Gamma. That left Saturn Beta to face off against  
  
Pluto Gamma, and Skyhorse to meet up with Mercury Beta, of course.  
  
After all the necessary pairings had been made, Moon soon had everyone begin training  
  
wherever they'd all have to be. And she also began training herself, of course. For at least the next  
  
two or three hours, if not longer than that, then, every single one of the Scouts then trained in the  
  
necessary parts of the Rainbow Springs Palace, until Moon and Neptune Alpha eventually decided  
  
to end those training sessions for at least a few hours, for the obvious reasons, of course. When they  
  
did, they soon had their fellow Scouts power down, and transform themselves all out of their  
  
respective Sailor Scout states of being.  
  
Hours later, after some free time for all the Princesses, and after a longer lunch period than  
  
normal, all the Princesses began training again with each other as Sailor Scouts for quite some time.   
  
They then did this until they felt they could no longer do so during the current day. After which they  
  
soon had the rest of the day or night free, of course. Many of them retired rather soon after supper was  
  
over. And they then crashed, in a manner of speaking, into their beds for quite a few hours, if they  
  
did retire to their chambers rather soon after supper was over.  
  
Much of the next two or three weeks went much the same way for many, if not all, of the  
  
Princesses now secretly training as Sailor Scouts on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds. Even  
  
until just before December 21, 986, much of the time they spent on that palace's grounds training as  
  
Sailor Scouts went basically the same way as it had starting on Lita's birthday, if not all of it, for  
  
many, if not all, of the Princesses who were now doing that training of themselves as Sailor Scouts.  
  
In the next chapter for this story, the Scouts and many others will be going on a holiday break  
  
for a while from their training, in fact. That break's length will be revealed later, if not in this nest  
  
chapter for this story, readers. But for you to know all of what will go on in the next chapter, you'll  
  
all just have to wait and see. And you probably will need or want to review here for this story if you  
  
want it to be uploaded quicker than it has been of late, I think.  
  
Serena and many others will be in this story's next chapter, as well, people. How so? You'll  
  
all just have to read to find out, readers! I really do hope that you've enjoyed the first two stories in  
  
this particular story series, and the first eighteen chapters of this third story, if you've actually gotten  
  
this far. And that you'll all continue to read its related story series, of course, once I put even more  
  
of it up here. The last seven chapters after the next one of this third story in the series will be up  
  
shortly, if at all possible, readers, for your information. I really don't know yet just how long it'll still  
  
take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this  
  
series, just the same, readers. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here.   
  
Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

All standard disclaimers that I've already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise  
  
stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that  
  
matter.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
South Garden In The Double Earth Palace  
  
Crescent, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 20, 986 - December 21, 986  
  
Some time later, then, all the Princesses began getting ready to return for a time to the Moon  
  
City side of the Moon. After they each had supper on the evening of December 20, 986, they all soon  
  
got together all the required items that they'd have to bring back to the Moon City side of the Moon  
  
with them. Even at least one gown apiece, of course. When they left the Rainbow Springs Palace's  
  
grounds, it'd still be sometime on December 20, 986, there. They'd then teleport themselves first to  
  
Moon City, then to Crescent, so that they could all materialize in the necessary palace garden there.   
  
They'd first teleport to the Crystal Palace, and get some more things from there, if they wanted to do  
  
that. And then they'd teleport while they still were able to do so directly to the Double Earth Palace.   
  
They'd then suspend their teleportation process for about twenty minutes, but no more than thirty, in  
  
any case. Which'd allow them to get a few more things from their Crystal Palace chambers, if they  
  
wanted them, then they'd resume it, so that they'd not get in trouble with Queen Serenity for not  
  
showing up in that particular garden on the Double Earth Palace's grounds in Crescent. Or at least  
  
not as much trouble as they would if they didn't all eventually show up there, of course.  
  
They got all their things together in the necessary room of the Rainbow Springs Palace, after  
  
a stop in another room of the palace, to make sure that they'd be able to use all their powers and items  
  
with 100% strength and effectiveness, most likely, while they were on the Moon City side of the  
  
Moon again. Of course, that meant that they went to the room that had the table with all the crystals  
  
in it that matched each of their own to get those powers and items back again, if they'd contributed  
  
them to that table for at least a while, and not had access to them in the meantime. Which made them  
  
all quite happy, for all the obvious reasons, of course. While those things had been in the table, they'd  
  
also regenerated themselves considerably. And they'd even increased the stores of power in the table  
  
that'd eventually return to the Scouts by at least ten percent apiece over what originally had been  
  
contributed to it by them earlier. In fact, all the Scouts gained at least twenty percent more power,  
  
from what they'd each contributed to the table, apiece, if not more than that, when they took back their  
  
powers and items that they'd contributed to the table in question some length of time before.  
  
Then, after they did that, they soon arrived in the same room that they'd earlier left the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds for their short trip to the area of Mount Chrysalis on that side of  
  
the Moon from. After doing that, they then put all their things wherever they'd need to be when they  
  
all teleported out of it. Then they transformed into each of their Sailor Scout states of being, after  
  
which Moon soon accessed a nearby console in it, and set certain coordinates on it, so that they could  
  
all teleport eventually to the Double Earth Palace's South Garden, as they'd have to do, in order to do  
  
what Queen Serenity wanted them to do, if at all possible. Moon set those coordinates, after lowering  
  
the required shields over the Rainbow Springs Palace for a time. She then programmed those shields  
  
to kick back on as soon as they were confirmed to have all materialized safely enough near or on the  
  
grounds of the Crystal Palace in Moon City. And to stay up until lowered remotely, if at all possible,  
  
from elsewhere on the Moon by someone with sufficient enough access to do that easily enough.   
  
With that done, she soon joined the rest of her companions elsewhere in that same room. And then  
  
she began the teleportation process for herself and all her companions by saying the required  
  
teleportation phrase in it when it was her turn to do so. After she did that, she then began  
  
disappearing from that room with her things, seconds before each of her other companions did the  
  
same thing, of course.  
  
A little while later, all of them materialized in the main ballroom of the Crystal Palace, and  
  
Moon immediately said, "Sailor Scout Teleport hold, for thirty minutes, or until further notice,  
  
whichever comes first! Authorization, Junior Sailor Scout Moon Gamma-954-86-352!" Three  
  
answering beeps responded in a very fast manner seconds later, to let her know that was a valid  
  
command from her to the console she'd accessed to get them at least to Moon City, and that the  
  
console had suspended their teleportation process for the aforementioned length of time. As soon as  
  
she heard them, she then said, "Girls, we have, at most, thirty minutes to get back here again before  
  
it's too late for us to go like this to Crescent. So let's get ourselves moving, for the obvious reasons,  
  
of course."  
  
When she said that, Mercury then said, "Understood. Thirty minutes, and not a second more."   
  
As soon as Mercury said that, everyone then made all possible haste as they hurried to their respective  
  
chambers, even Corona and Eclipse. They all did this in order to get all the things that they'd likely  
  
either need or want to bring with them to Crescent's Double Earth Palace on the Moon City side of  
  
the Moon. Most especially Moon, for she was very much interested in seeing Darien again for the  
  
first time in quite a while, for all the obvious reasons, of course. As Moon headed to her chambers  
  
there, she had Skyhorse return to hers as well, so that Skyhorse could then see if she'd also want to  
  
bring anything with her to Crescent's Double Earth Palace.  
  
Eventually, they all rejoined each other in the main ballroom of the Crystal Palace, and put  
  
the things that they'd just gotten from each of their chambers near them as they prepared to resume  
  
their teleportation process again. That teleportation process would then, of course, allow them all to  
  
hopefully arrive there safely enough, if at all possible. Or at least they all hoped that it'd do that easily  
  
enough and safely enough, of course.  
  
And after they did that, Moon soon said, "Girls, prepare to resume our teleportation process  
  
in no more than a minute or two."  
  
Everyone did so, and they all arrived in their proper positions just seconds before she'd order  
  
the teleportation process to resume for them all. As soon as she was sure that they'd all done so well  
  
enough, she then said, "Sailor Scout Teleport resume! Authorization, Junior Sailor Scout Moon  
  
Gamma-954-86-352!" That said, she and all her current companions in the main ballroom of the  
  
Crystal Palace began disappearing from it, just as they'd disappeared earlier from the grounds of the  
  
Rainbow Springs Palace on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon.  
  
Several moments later, then, at most, they all eventually began materializing in the Double  
  
Earth Palace's South Garden in Crescent. First Moon appeared, and then the rest of her companions  
  
did so, one at a time. The last of her companions to do so was Skyhorse. And she materialized not  
  
much behind Moon, Luna, and Artemis, when she did so.  
  
When all of them materialized in the Double Earth Palace's South Garden, they all appeared  
  
just in front of three Princes and one Queen. Of course, the Queen was Queen Serenity, and the  
  
Princes were Daniel, Darien, and Rolando. Each of them materialized just about ten to fifteen feet,  
  
at most, from at least one of those four royals, two of which were from Earth, of course. Moon  
  
materialized closest to Darien, while Skyhorse showed up just in front of Rolando. Corona and  
  
Eclipse were closest of all the Scouts to Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel, though. That was because  
  
all of the other Scouts were behind Moon, Skyhorse, Corona, and Eclipse, at the current time.  
  
Queen Serenity soon said, then, after she'd confirmed that all her Scouts had each arrived  
  
safely enough in that garden on the Double Earth Palace's grounds in Crescent, "It's good to see you  
  
all again, Scouts. I trust that you all had many good training sessions while you were elsewhere on  
  
the Moon."  
  
"Yes. We'll discuss them with you later, if we get the chance, before we return to the Imperial  
  
Palace, Mother," Moon soon said, in response.  
  
"Good. I'll expect a full report about your various training sessions tomorrow at lunch, then,  
  
from all of you. Even you, Skyhorse."  
  
"Understood," all of the Scouts soon said, of course. Even Moon, Corona, and Eclipse.  
  
Then Serenity asked the Princes now with her, her cats, and her Scouts to go to another part  
  
of the South Garden for at least a few minutes. So all three of the Princes did so, even though they'd  
  
probably not want to do that for at least a little while. When Serenity saw that had been done well  
  
enough by all three Princes, she then said, "Please transform out of all of your respective Sailor Scout  
  
states, and then follow me, everyone." So all of them did so, and when they all had followed her to  
  
yet another part of the garden, even Corona and Eclipse, Serenity then said, "I'd bet, if I were normally  
  
a betting woman, that all of you are now rather glad that you won't likely have to train for a while,  
  
while you're still here on this side of the Moon. But as you all know, I believe, I'm not often a betting  
  
woman, girls."  
  
"Yes, I suppose you're right, Mom," answered Serena, moments later.  
  
"And I'm sure that you're probably the gladdest of all the girls, Serena. For you normally don't  
  
like to train, I think, if you don't have to do that at all."  
  
"Correct, Mother. I'd rather spend most, if not all, my time with Darien, whenever possible,  
  
in my own mortal life. For as you know, I consider him my honey, at least, if nothing else as well,  
  
Mom. I'm going to marry him someday. And no other girl is going to stop that from happening if  
  
I can possibly avoid it at all. Not even Raye, who I really care for very much in my life."  
  
"Of course, that doesn't mean that I can't chase him, does it, Serena?" asked Raye.  
  
"Of course it doesn't. But I'll win his heart over everyone else, if I possibly can, Raye.   
  
Nothing against you personally, of course, Raye. But I think he's mine to lose. And if I can avoid it,  
  
I'll never lose him to any other girl or woman in the known Universe. Either while we're still here in  
  
the Silver Millennium, while we're in the 20th Century, or we're in the 30th Century, I'll never lose  
  
him once and for all, if I can possibly avoid it."  
  
"Even if it means your death, Serena?" asked Mina.  
  
"Yes. Even if it means that. I'm going to be with him, if at all possible, if worst ever comes  
  
to worst for us at least once in this known Universe of ours, Mina. Not even the Negaversers will be  
  
able to keep us apart forever, I'm sure, if it's not God's will that they somehow do just that. And I'm  
  
sure that Mom will do her part, if at all possible, to make sure that's the case, no matter what the cost  
  
might be to her or to our Moon Kingdom. I'll not give him up for anything else mortal, if I can  
  
possibly avoid it, not even my life. I'd climb to the sky if I had to in order to be with him, if worst  
  
comes to worst for us at least once in this Universe of ours that God made so long ago. And I'd do  
  
almost anything, if not everything, I could do to save him from permanent enough harm, if at all  
  
possible. I consider him my honey. And I can't possibly imagine ever spending forever without him  
  
near me a good portion, if not all, of the time in the future. Supposing we both get to be together  
  
whenever possible in the future, of course, Mina."  
  
"And when you are, you eventually want to have at least Rini, of course?" asked Lita.  
  
"If possible, sure, Lita. I just wish that Mother would be around in a physical sense, and with  
  
us, when I marry Darien, and when we have at least one child together. But she may not be, for she  
  
may fall asleep back here on the Moon, if and when she's somehow able to save any or all of us from  
  
the Moon Kingdom, I think."  
  
"That may be so, but if so, I hope that you'll remember me and those of us who aren't able to  
  
be there at such times, if at all possible in the future. Many of our people will likely fall in battle,  
  
Serena. For the Negaversers won't likely give up, if they possibly can avoid it, until our dear Moon  
  
Kingdom is in ruins because of them. Or at least not until much, if not all of it, is in ruins anywhere  
  
in our own solar system, that is. Even, I fear your father Prince Daniel, Serena, some yet-unknown  
  
length of time before the likely end of the Moon Kingdom, will fall in battle because of them."  
  
Then Serenity talked a few minutes more with them, before they returned to the same place  
  
where Serenity's Scouts had earlier materialized in the garden with their things. That done, Serenity  
  
then asked them to stay where they were. And do so at least until she returned there with all three of  
  
the aforementioned Princes that she'd asked to leave that area of the garden some length of time  
  
before. They all agreed to do that, of course. When Serenity heard that, she then left them for a short  
  
time. And she soon returned with all three of the Princes currently in question.  
  
When she did so, Serena then asked, "Are you glad to see us again, Prince Darien?"  
  
"Of course, Serena. I'm especially glad to see you, Serena. For you've quite often been on my  
  
mind of late, for some yet-unknown reason."  
  
"I bet that you've been on my mind even more, though."  
  
"You're probably right, seeing as you consider me to be your honey, Serena. Do you think that  
  
we could talk later with each other?"  
  
"Sure, if that's not too much of a problem with all my fellow Princesses, Mom, and Dad, then  
  
it's not too much of a problem with me, my dear honey Darien."  
  
"All right, then, Serena, it's settled. First chance we get, we'll talk with each other then."  
  
"Agreed, Darien."  
  
Then all the other Princesses conversed with all the Princes and Queen Serenity for a while,  
  
if they hadn't already done so. And Serena did so with them as well. Eventually, though, several of  
  
them decided that they wanted to return to their own chambers in the Double Earth Palace, if they  
  
even had any in them at all. So all of them who chose to do so did so, until only the Princes and  
  
Queen Serenity were left there with Serena and Sylvia, the latter of which hadn't yet found herself in  
  
any chambers of her own elsewhere on the Double Earth Palace's grounds.  
  
Soon afterward, Serenity asked Rolando to escort Sylvia to certain chambers in the palace that  
  
she'd earlier chosen for her in them. He quite readily agreed to do so. And a few moments later, he  
  
was then escorting Sylvia to those certain chambers elsewhere in the palace. That then left Serena  
  
alone with her parents and Darien in the Double Earth Palace's South Garden.  
  
Serenity then said, "A ball will begin just after Earthrise, Serena. I hope you'll also make sure  
  
that you're ready for it by the time that Earthrise comes to us here in Crescent."  
  
"Sure, Mom. Now what are you and Dad going to do?"  
  
"We're going to take a little walk before then. And maybe I'll lie down for a while. I suppose  
  
you can guess why?"  
  
"Sure. I know the story, as you know."  
  
"And Prince Darien now knows it too. He learned it two days ago, when I was working for  
  
a while in the Crystal Palace's North Garden. I was working there, and I fainted when a particularly  
  
unexpected hot breeze blew quite suddenly through the area of the North Garden that I was working  
  
in then. He caught me before I hit the ground. For he was nearby, just minding his own business on  
  
a bench near me in the garden. He was about ten feet away from me, at most, and it took him nor  
  
more than a few seconds to get to my side, and catch me before I hit the ground. When he caught me,  
  
he accidentally brushed his hand across my abdomen, and he felt the babies all kick under his hand.   
  
He felt five kicks under his hand. And then he realized that I was now with child by a factor of five,  
  
most likely. As soon as he laid me on a nearby bench, he then went to the nearest bell chain. And  
  
he soon summoned both your father and Dr. Matthew to the North Garden. I've spent most of the last  
  
two days lying down in bed, in fact, Serena. And after I'm done here with you, I'll probably do so  
  
again very soon."  
  
"I see. And what does Darien think of this matter?"  
  
"You know you could ask him yourself, Serena."  
  
"Darien, would you please tell me what you think about this matter?"  
  
"It'd be nice, if it actually comes to pass, if your mother could, as you people in the Moon  
  
Kingdom may often say, 'Shoot the Comet'. But only God knows for sure if she actually will do so,  
  
Serena. I hope that she does, of course, and all the babies manage to get born and live for a long time  
  
into the future. But only God knows for sure if that'll eventually happen. It's not every day that you  
  
see a humanoid deliver at least three to five babies in one shot."  
  
"True, I suppose, Darien."  
  
Then, as soon as Serena said that, Serenity said, "Serena, I have other things that I think your  
  
Dad and I have to do now. So we'll leave you both alone for a while. I trust that you'll be ready for  
  
the ball later."  
  
"Sure, Mom. I'll be there when the proper time comes for it. Main ballroom, Mom?"  
  
"Of course, Serena. Please don't be late for it. For we won't delay the start of it this time."  
  
Then Serenity and Daniel soon left their first daughter alone with her Terran friend Prince  
  
Darien. And they eventually left the garden not too much later. That, of course, then left Serena alone  
  
in the garden with Darien. As soon as Serena was sure enough that they'd not be bothered for at least  
  
a little while in the garden, she then said, "I'm really glad to be with you again, Darien. So much so,  
  
that I think I'm beginning to get this strange urge to kiss you."  
  
"But you won't kiss me yet, of course."  
  
"Sure I won't. I'm only about 126 months old, I think, by our usual calendar, Darien. No  
  
sense in rushing things, at least not right now, when we may have forever to be with each other. God  
  
willing, of course."  
  
"But you think that we'll eventually kiss anyway, Serena."  
  
"Yes. And do a whole lot more than just kissing, once we get married to each other someday,  
  
I'm sure."  
  
"You mean when we have Rini, Serena?"  
  
"You know about that, Darien?"  
  
"Well, yeah. I seem to often be seeing a pink-haired kid with hair much like yours in my  
  
dreams and/or visions of late, Serena. Maybe not entirely like yours, of course, but still like yours,  
  
just the same."  
  
"A girl named Rini, or more correctly, Serena?"  
  
"Yes, I do mean that."  
  
"But I'll still not wait forever to kiss you, if I don't have to, my dear honey Darien."  
  
"Like how soon were you hoping that we'd be able to first kiss each other, seeing as I'm now  
  
25, and you're just ten or so years old, Serena?"  
  
"Perhaps by the time I was a teenager, at the very latest, I think."  
  
"And that won't happen at least until you're thirteen, of course. Which'd make me almost 28,  
  
I think."  
  
"I believe that's how it is, Darien, if your math is accurate enough."  
  
"And do you think I'd essentially be robbing the cradle with you, if we fell for each other,  
  
because of that fact?"  
  
"No, I don't. I very much like you, honey. And I can't imagine marrying any other guy but  
  
you in my life. Sure, in the future, my future father, or foster father, whatever the case might be then,  
  
might not like the idea of you being so old when you date me. But we still will care very much for  
  
each other, I'm sure, no matter what. Not even if you fall at least temporarily under the control of the  
  
Negaverse. You'll never completely desert me, no matter what. For our love will overcome all the  
  
evil tricks that they try to use in order to separate us forever. God willing, of course. Even if you have  
  
to show up as well in the form of the Moonlight Knight, you'll never completely desert me. Sure, they  
  
may have you under their control for a time. But I'll get you back if they ever do. I don't care how,  
  
I'll eventually get you back somehow, if it's God's will that I ever do so, Darien."  
  
"You'll love me, if you don't already?"  
  
"Yes, and you'll do the same for me. For we're like two interlocking rings that can't  
  
permanently be separated unless they are forced apart from each other somehow. No matter where  
  
either of us goes, we'll always be able to find each other, I think. And do so at least as long as our  
  
love remains sufficiently strong for us all, and if God wills that we're able to do just that, in our lives.   
  
I'll be with you, and you'll be with me forever. Even if it's only in our memories of the times that  
  
we've spent, are now spending, and will spend, together in the future. We may not always be near  
  
each other physically, Darien. But we'll still always be together somehow, if it's truly God's will that  
  
we do so."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, as sure as I can be, I'm sure that'll be the case forever. Or for at least for as long as God  
  
wills it to be so for us both, if not even longer here, my dear Darien. Otherwise, how'll it ever be  
  
possible for us to have Rini someday yet in the future?"  
  
"I see your point. There's nobody else I know in my life with hair like yours, Serena. And  
  
besides you, the only one I've seen in my dreams and/or visions about what things might be like for  
  
at least a few, if not all, of us, is a girl with your first name and pink hair much like your own blonde  
  
hair, Serena. A girl who'll apparently be our future daughter, I think, if things go sufficiently well for  
  
us at all in the future."  
  
"But in the meantime, don't be surprised if sometime this holiday season here on this side of  
  
the Moon, you find me under some mistletoe, looking at you."  
  
"You'd put yourself under mistletoe to get a kiss from me, if you felt the need?"  
  
"Sure, but I don't think I will, at least not yet in my life, my dear Darien. Just don't be  
  
surprised if I do it before the end of 986."  
  
"All right. But I don't think that you should do that, Serena. You yourself said, 'We may have  
  
forever to be with each other.' Serena, if that's the case, then we'll surely be kissing each other quite  
  
a bit in the future. I don't expect to find myself under mistletoe either. Sure, it might happen, but I  
  
still don't expect to do that."  
  
"Understood. But I'll still kiss you at least once someday in the future, I'm sure," said Serena.  
  
"Besides, I don't think that Raye, Lita, Mina, Amy, Destiny, and Bethany are hoping that  
  
someone will kiss them before the end of this holiday season here on the Moon. In fact, I don't think  
  
anyone else who's in your Court under the age of twelve is hoping that'll be the case for them at all,  
  
except for maybe you, Serena. Sure, Sylvia might be hoping that'll be the case for her and Rolando,  
  
but is she actually a member of your Court or not?"  
  
"I think she is, for she's been with us for at least a little while here on the Moon. And you  
  
know she's a Sailor Scout of the Junior Sailor Scout variety, Darien. But I'm not sure, and I think I'll  
  
have to ask Mom if she is, or isn't, yet a member of it."  
  
"But if you were to make an educated guess so far, would you say she is or not?"  
  
"I don't really know for sure, but I'd believe that she is. Why else would she ever be training  
  
with us, if she's not one at all, Darien?"  
  
"She's a Sailor Scout, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she's also a member of your Court,  
  
does it, Serena?"  
  
"No, I suppose you're right, Darien. And I'll likely have to ask Mom if she is or isn't actually  
  
part of it, of course. But in the meantime, I do believe that there actually is a ball scheduled for later  
  
today in the main ballroom of this palace. So if that's the case, and we're both going to have to be at  
  
it when it's due to begin, we're going to have to get ready for it, of course. I don't like the idea of  
  
leaving you alone very much right now. But as you surely know by now, we both have to get ready  
  
for that ball. And we really can't do it together, for all the obvious reasons, of course."  
  
"Agreed." So they parted almost immediately from each other, and each of them then returned  
  
to their respective chambers elsewhere on the grounds of the Double Earth Palace, so that they could  
  
both get ready in private for that very ball in that palace's main ballroom.  
  
There are six more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, there will be  
  
at least some romance shared by at least two characters, if not more than that. In what might pass for  
  
Chapter 21, Serena will also make at least one prediction related to her and her family. What that  
  
prediction or those predictions might be, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter  
  
gets put up as needed on , in fact. This particular story here will have a total of 26  
  
chapter-like sections in it, most likely, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest  
  
of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,  
  
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the  
  
seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume  
  
in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the  
  
point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up,  
  
I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll  
  
have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able  
  
to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,  
  
however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size,  
  
whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I  
  
say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this  
  
series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until  
  
later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and  
  
all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	20. Chapter Twenty

In the last chapter of this story, many people returned to the Moon City side of the Moon  
  
from where they'd been training on the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon. And they were all  
  
coming back to the Moon City side of the Moon for a while, due to the fact that it was now quite  
  
close to Christmas by the calendar then in use both on the Moon and on Earth, in fact.  
  
They will be on the Moon City side of the Moon for at least a little while, if not a long  
  
while, before they resume their training sessions as Sailor Scouts, by the way, readers. Sometime  
  
after the end of their current break from training, they will resume doing so. Or they will find  
  
another adventure that will force them to fight against the Negaverse at least once more in the near  
  
future, most likely. Which it is will be revealed to you all when the need arises, readers.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Main Ballroom In The Double Earth Palace  
  
Crescent, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 21, 986 - December 22, 986  
  
Some length of time later, and just before the end of Earthrise, Serena then showed up in the  
  
main ballroom of the Double Earth Palace wearing a mostly pink dress with a royal blue and white  
  
sash that ran from her left shoulder to her right hip. She showed up there just a few minutes before  
  
Darien, Rolando, and Sylvia did the same. Sylvia showed up there wearing a mostly black and lime  
  
green dress. And Princes Rolando and Darien showed up wearing black tuxedos, as usual. However,  
  
Prince Rolando wore a navy blue cummerbund, and Darien wore a crimson cummerbund.  
  
Already there in the main ballroom when Moon Princess Serena, Princess Sylvia, Prince  
  
Rolando, and Prince Darien all eventually showed up in it were Queen Serenity, Princes Daniel and  
  
Raphael. And the Princesses Amy, Chloe, Mina, Aurora, Destiny, Bethany, Raye, Bridget, Lita,  
  
Beatrice, Jackie, Hannah, Estella, Ariel, Alexis, Winnie, Poruzuka, Michelle, D.C., Deborah, Susan,  
  
and Tracy were there as well, of course. And all of them wore some rather attractive dresses that went  
  
well with their hair and eyes, as they waited for the upcoming ball to begin. When Serena showed  
  
up in it with Sylvia, Rolando, and Darien, she soon found her mother in it, and went to her, while  
  
Sylvia, Rolando, and Darien all followed her in the main ballroom. Serena said, "I'm here now, Mom.   
  
The ball can begin just as planned now, Mother. If that's still all right with you, of course."  
  
"Sure thing, Serena. I'm going to go lie down again for a while, shortly after this ball begins.   
  
I'm not feeling perfectly well at the moment. I might dance once. But if I do, I'm only dancing once,  
  
before I leave here again."  
  
"Understood. And if you leave, you'll want me to run things here, if I can, with or without  
  
Uncle Raph's help. For you'll want to leave this main ballroom with Dad, no doubt."  
  
"Do you think you can do that well enough, if I were to leave it with your Dad, Serena?"  
  
"I'm sure I can at least try, of course, Mom."  
  
"Good. If you have any problems after we leave here, then ask your uncle for help, if you feel  
  
you need to."  
  
"Will do."  
  
Soon enough, then, the ball was due to start, and when its time came to everyone there in the  
  
main ballroom, Serenity and her daughter Serena soon declared the ball open, of course. And then  
  
both of them were soon on the floor with Daniel or Darien, as the case might be for each of them. Of  
  
course, Serenity only danced with her husband, and Serena only danced with Darien, when they did  
  
so, at least for the first dance, if not the only dance, that they'd dance while they were both at the ball  
  
together. As expected, then, Serenity soon left the main ballroom with Daniel after she danced only  
  
once during that ball. That then left the floor to the younger people on it, of course.  
  
Sylvia danced with several young men from all over the Sol solar system of the Milky Way  
  
Galaxy during the ball in question. But most of the time, she danced just with Rolando during it. For  
  
she'd begun to consider the possibility that she might fall for him, and he for her, in either of their own  
  
mortal lives. She thought, "I can't really lose, if I eventually wind up with Rolando, can I? He's a  
  
really nice guy, and he's rather cute, as well. He's kind, and he really seems interested in me mainly  
  
for what's inside than he is for what's outside. He seems to really like me a great deal, and I wonder  
  
if he thinks it's great that I'm a strong girl most, if not all, of the time."  
  
As she was thinking that, Rolando was also thinking, "Man, Sylvia looks especially radiant  
  
tonight. I like that black and lime green dress that she's wearing now. It looks especially good on  
  
her tonight. I wonder if it's one of the dresses that Sailor Chrysalis gave her some time ago. I really  
  
liked that other one she wore about two months ago. I suppose I better try not to embarrass her by  
  
telling her that I think she's looking great while all these other people are around us. Maybe later, it'd  
  
be all right for me to do so. But now may not be so good of a time to say such things to her. She is  
  
a real warrior, I'll say that for her. She really handled those Negaversers and Yonishikians well when  
  
we fought them on Ozotov IV quite a while ago. And that was even before she first became Junior  
  
Sailor Skyhorse a few weeks or months ago. I doubt I could have done better than she did in those  
  
battles on Ozotov IV, even if the conditions of those battles had been different enough from what they  
  
were. She should be one amazing Sailor Scout, I think. Maybe not as powerful a Scout as Moon and  
  
a few others might be, but still rather powerful, nevertheless, I think. And if she loves people at least  
  
half as well as she fights people from the Negaverse, at least, then she'll probably make a lot of friends  
  
here before too much longer, if she hasn't already. And I hope I'm among those people that she has  
  
loved, is now loving, and will love, in her life, if at all possible, of course. I'd not mind ever marrying  
  
her either, if we're both so inclined, and God wills that we do so, for all the obvious reasons, of  
  
course."  
  
Sylvia eventually caught him gazing at her, during one of the dances that both she and  
  
Rolando were currently sitting out. And then she asked him, for she was now quite curious about  
  
what he was thinking here, "What's on your mind, Rolando, if it's safe enough for you to answer me  
  
here?"  
  
"What do you think, Sylvia?" He even winked at her, as he also flashed a smile at her then.   
  
He did both those things in a slightly mischievous manner. But not entirely in such a manner.  
  
"Oh, no! You think I'm so beautiful tonight in my dress, among other things, I'd bet. And  
  
from the look in your eyes, I think you may even believe I look especially radiant tonight in it."  
  
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact, that was just the case, and my thoughts haven't changed since  
  
I just thought them, at least in that regard, Sylvia."  
  
"Rolando, you're a real dream, I think. How come you often think I'm so beautiful? I just  
  
don't understand what makes you say the things you often do say to me, whenever we're together at  
  
all, whether or not other people are near us when you say those things to me."  
  
"Because, my dear Sylvia, you are. Believe me, you are. And just because many people  
  
haven't yet seen it, that doesn't mean that you aren't beautiful. They'd literally have to be blind not to  
  
see that you are beautiful not only on the outside, but on the inside as well, Sylvia. And I really can't  
  
wait until we're old enough to start dating, if at all possible, sometime yet in the future. Though, of  
  
course, I might have to, for all the obvious reasons. And I think, that if and when we get old enough  
  
to do so, you'd most likely not mind doing so. Yes, I know that we're from different parts of our own  
  
world. But I still see you quite often in my dreams and/or visions, especially of late. I don't really  
  
know why well enough yet, if I ever will. But I know that I do. And I'm reasonably certain that the  
  
same thing's often happening to you, as it relates to me, in your own recent dreams and/or visions.   
  
I have this strange feeling that someday, we might just find ourselves in love with each other, if we're  
  
not already in love with each other, Sylvia. Whether it's while we're still here in the 10th Century or  
  
not, I'm not quite sure. I just have this strange feeling that we'll eventually end up together for a very  
  
long time, at least once, in each of our lives in God's very own Universe. I can't lie to you about how  
  
I feel about you, no matter how hard I try, Sylvia. You do look great, and especially radiant tonight.   
  
I can't help it, but I just have to say that to you. Even if it makes you blush again, I just have to say  
  
that to you here."  
  
As the first glimmers of a blush began to appear on her cheeks, she then grabbed his nearest  
  
hand, and she suddenly pulled him out of his seat. Not yet understanding why, he didn't resist her  
  
pulling him out of his seat. She then pulled him through the main ballroom, until she was on the  
  
nearest balcony of the palace with him. After they got on the balcony together, she soon shut the  
  
nearest doors to that balcony behind them both. And she then secured them for a time, using a stick  
  
she'd found earlier on the Rainbow Springs Palace's grounds before she and others had left them to  
  
come eventually to Crescent, by way of Moon City. She placed that stick in such a manner that  
  
nobody else would be able to access that balcony through those doors unless they broke the stick in  
  
question, or she removed it. Then she went back to where Rolando was standing elsewhere on that  
  
balcony, and she said, "We're alone, and we won't be disturbed for a while, Rolando, I think."  
  
"What's on your mind, then, Sylvia?"  
  
"Either talk to me or kiss me, please. For otherwise, I think this blush won't go away for a  
  
while, if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"Which would you rather prefer, Sylvia?"  
  
"Either would be nice, now that we're alone. Yes, I know that we're still young, but I just have  
  
this strange urge beginning to visit me, which seems to think that maybe we should kiss at least once,  
  
if not more, in the very near future. Either that, or we should talk in private with each other for at least  
  
a little while, away from everyone else."  
  
"I've never kissed a girl before in actual reality. Unless, of course, they're part of my family,  
  
Sylvia."  
  
"Well, I've never kissed a boy outside my family before, Rolando, so I'm not more experienced  
  
in kissing romantically than you are, if that's actually the case for you."  
  
"So what you're saying, if we're not lying to each other here, is that this will be the first  
  
romantic kiss that either of us will ever have?"  
  
"Yes, Rolando, I am indeed saying that."  
  
"You realize that if I kiss you, and you kiss me, then, in my book, at least, if not yours as well,  
  
I'll be your boyfriend, and you'll be my girlfriend, Sylvia?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"Then I don't expect you to be kissing any other boys in a romantic manner for at least as long  
  
as I do so. You understand me?"  
  
"Perfectly. But if that's the case, I'll expect you to respect me enough not to kiss any other girls  
  
in a romantic manner either, of course, Rolando. Otherwise, what's the point of being boyfriend and  
  
girlfriend to each other in our lives? Sure, our romantic relationship with each other might not last  
  
permanently. But it might, if it's truly God's will that it does so, so there's no sense in risking it  
  
needlessly, of course. Is there, Rolando?" Just then they both quite unconsciously walked under a  
  
bit of mistletoe hanging from another balcony one floor of the Double Earth Palace just about four feet  
  
above both of their heads.  
  
"No, there's not, Sylvia. Very well, then. It's agreed. If we're to be boyfriend or girlfriend to  
  
each other, as the case might be for each of us, then we aren't to go around searching for romantic  
  
kisses from people of the gender opposite ourselves. Or that may be grounds for termination of such  
  
a relationship between us, Sylvia. Sure, we may chase other boys or girls, as the case might be for  
  
each of us. But we aren't to search for romantic kisses from any of the people that we chase in the  
  
future. I'd prefer, though, if possible, for us not to chase other people while we're still seeing each  
  
other romantically, of course, Sylvia. This, of course, is for all the obvious reasons, Sylvia."  
  
"Are we to keep our romantic relationship secret, if we begin one?"  
  
"If you think it best, why not?"  
  
"I think that if we have one, we should let all our friends from here know, at least, but nobody  
  
else, if we can possibly avoid it."  
  
"Agreed. Now what are we going to do, Sylvia, as your blush is now fading at least a little?"  
  
"I suppose we could kiss, if that's what you think we should do."  
  
Just then, Rolando spotted the mistletoe above their heads, and asked, "You mean we could  
  
kiss under a bit of mistletoe, Sylvia?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Look above our heads, Sylvia. There's a bit of it hanging from a balcony a few feet above our  
  
heads." She looked where he then pointed, and she soon spotted it.  
  
Then she said, "I suppose, Rolando."  
  
"Are you sure, because I don't want to rush things with us if I don't have to, Sylvia?"  
  
"Am I still a bit red?"  
  
"Yes, but just a little."  
  
"Might as well. It's going to happen anyway, I figure, so we might as well get it over with,  
  
if we're ever going to do that with each other, before the likely end of the Moon Kingdom. So, if you  
  
don't mind doing so, don't be afraid to kiss me at all, Rolando."  
  
"Very well, if you feel that we must do so, I'll kiss you, and you should kiss me. But if we  
  
kiss, you know what that'll mean at least to me, if not also to you, Sylvia."  
  
"I do know that now, Rolando. And I agree with you on that. It'll mean the same thing for  
  
me, or at least it'll mean, as much as possible, the same thing to me, of course. If it doesn't mean the  
  
same thing to me as it does to you, then you should know why. Simply because of the fact that we're  
  
people of different genders, of course."  
  
"Understood, Sylvia. Where do you want for me to kiss you, and for you to kiss me?"  
  
"Let's go where we can see the Earth from this balcony, if at all possible, Rolando." So they  
  
did so. Then when Sylvia was sure enough that they were where they should both be on the balcony  
  
in question, she said, "Anytime you're ready for us to kiss, then, go to it, Rolando."  
  
"All right. We're agreed, then, that once we kiss each other, there's not to be any romantic  
  
kissing of others by us for at least as long as we're seeing each other romantically."  
  
"Yes, we're agreed on that."  
  
"Then prepare to get kissed, Sylvia, and to become my girlfriend, by logical extension. You  
  
won't actually change your mind before I do so here, will you?"  
  
"No, I won't. For I do want you as my boyfriend, and I want to be your girlfriend, for at least  
  
as long as we can be seeing each other romantically in our lives. Yes, we're young, I know, but I still  
  
want to see you romantically now."  
  
"As you wish, Sylvia. I feel that I should become a boyfriend to you, and that you should  
  
become a girlfriend to me, right now, then, Sylvia."  
  
Wasting no more time, he then brushed a bit of hair away from her eyes that had fallen in front  
  
of them a bit, and then he put his hands on her cheeks. He then looked once into her eyes, as she did  
  
the same, then he soon focused his gaze on her lips. Slowly, then, he brought his lips to hers, and  
  
gave her a rather gentle kiss fully on them. He kept his lips on hers for a few seconds, at most, before  
  
he removed them from her lips. It was a rather gentle, yet rather passionate kiss, that he'd just given  
  
her. Several seconds later, after they both looked again at each other, she then did to him what he'd  
  
just done to her. She brought her lips to his in the same manner that he'd just brought his to hers.   
  
And her kiss lasted at least as long, if not longer, than his first kiss of his lips to hers. Then, after she  
  
felt the need to break for air, she soon removed her lips from where they'd been on his, of course.  
  
After doing so, Sylvia said, "Thank you, Rolando, for that kiss."  
  
"It was my pleasure, Sylvia. And thank you for your kissing of me, as well. And, by the way,  
  
your blush is gone."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
"I wonder if our kisses made it disappear."  
  
"I don't know, but I'd not be surprised if they did, Sylvia."  
  
"All right. How are we going to tell the others, if we do, that we're now seeing each other  
  
romantically, Rolando?"  
  
"I'm sure the words will come to the both of us, Sylvia, if they don't guess that we are already  
  
doing so before we actually do have a chance to tell them that."  
  
Moments later, then, after a little bit more conversation with each other, but no more kissing  
  
between themselves, they left the balcony, once Sylvia had recovered her stick from where she'd put  
  
it in the necessary doors that separated the balcony in question from the main ballroom of the Double  
  
Earth Palace. They then returned to the main ballroom of that palace. And the first couple they saw  
  
were Serena and Darien, when they got far enough back into it.  
  
Serena said, "I suppose you two were on a balcony together just now, for at least a while."  
  
"Yes, Serena, we were, as a matter of fact," said Sylvia.  
  
"And I suppose you two came to an understanding of sorts?"  
  
"What do you mean, Serena?" asked Sylvia.  
  
"I can tell that you spent quite a bit of time out there."  
  
"So what of it, Serena?"  
  
"Sylvia, you talked quite a bit with Rolando here. I don't know exactly what about. But I have  
  
a feeling you two came to an understanding of sorts about at least one thing, if not more."  
  
"How can you tell, Serena?"  
  
"Because your hair's not exactly as it was when you got here to the main ballroom. If it were,  
  
I don't think I'd likely be able to tell that you both had done so. And Rolando's isn't either. I see the  
  
unmistakable traces that you both had a discussion with each other of at least some importance to the  
  
both of you."  
  
"What else can you tell, Serena?"  
  
"A bit of your lipstick is still visible on his lips. And your lipstick is a bit smudged. That's  
  
how I can tell that something went on there on the balcony. Something important. Would you care  
  
to come into a corner or into another room with me and talk with me a while about it?"  
  
Sylvia considered that, as three pairs of eyes focused their gazes on her for a few seconds, then  
  
said, "Very well. But only you, and nobody else, at least not for the current time, if at all possible,  
  
Serena."  
  
"Understood. Darien, please tell Rolando about your latest ride on Black Star, if you please,  
  
while we're busy conversing with each other."  
  
"As you wish, Serena. It's almost local midnight, so please make it quick, if you can."  
  
"All right, Darien, I'll see what I can do about that."  
  
"Good." Then Serena left the main ballroom for a time with Sylvia, not saying anything else  
  
to anyone as she did so, and at least not until she and Sylvia were safely behind another door  
  
elsewhere in the palace.  
  
As soon as they were, Serena then asked, "Sylvia, please start talking now to me about what  
  
happened with you and Rolando on that balcony, if you so choose."  
  
"All right. We talked for a while, about various things of some importance to either or both  
  
of us, and while we were doing so, we kissed each other once apiece. First he kissed me, and then  
  
I kissed him. Those were the first two kisses that we ever shared with people outside our respective  
  
families, Serena. Neither of us had ever kissed anyone else in our lives with any romantic kisses. So  
  
you know what that now means, Serena. And I expect that the same thing might eventually come to  
  
pass for you and Darien someday, at least once in the future."  
  
"How did his kiss feel to you, Sylvia?"  
  
"Wonderful. I don't expect to always get kissed like that by a boy or a man, but I still liked  
  
the kiss very much. And I hope that he liked the kiss I gave him in return. I kissed him in much the  
  
same manner, if not the exact same manner, that he kissed me not too long before. Did you know that  
  
Rolando's beginning to get the first signs of a moustache and beard on his face now?"  
  
"No, I didn't, Sylvia. I didn't know that. Or at least I couldn't tell when I looked at him shortly  
  
after we got here to Crescent a while ago, to be with Mom and everyone else that we were supposed  
  
to meet here."  
  
"I see. Well, I hope that it eventually works out well enough for us in the future, so that we  
  
can marry someday, if it's truly God's will that we ever do so, Serena."  
  
"So do you expect to be able to kiss him often whenever you see him?"  
  
"Not really, for we may not be able to do that very often, if at all, whenever we do, if we ever  
  
see each other often enough in the future."  
  
"Well, if you're now hoping that it eventually all works out well enough for you and Rolando  
  
in the future, then I feel I should do the same, of course. I, for one, at least, think that you two make  
  
a good couple. And if I were a betting girl, which you know I'm not, at least not most of the time, I'd  
  
be willing to bet that a lot of the other Princesses we already know in our lives also feel the same way  
  
now about you both that I do. Both Rolando and Darien are rather cute, but I like Darien more, of  
  
course. Nothing against Rolando, of course, Sylvia. But from what I know of him and Darien, I like  
  
being with Darien more than I do with Rolando. This is for all the obvious reasons, of course. I wish  
  
you and Rolando all the best in your new romantic relationship with each other."  
  
"You won't chase him?"  
  
"Nope. Not when there's another guy I like a whole lot more in my life. Sure, he might be a  
  
great guy for me, if things worked out that way for us both in our lives. But I don't want to lose  
  
Darien to anyone else of our common gender, if I don't absolutely have to, Sylvia. Even if they're  
  
Raye or someone enough like her. Either now or anytime yet in the future, I never want to lose him  
  
completely, if I don't absolutely have to, and if I can possibly avoid it, in my life, and in his life as  
  
well."  
  
"So Darien's the one for you, no matter how many other guys you might ever see in your life?"  
  
"I believe so. I don't think I'll ever have Rini with anyone else as my husband instead of him.   
  
I can't even comprehend the idea of me ever marrying any other guy in my life, if I don't have to,  
  
Sylvia. I want to end up with Darien, if at all possible, in my life, someday. I don't care when it  
  
happens, if it ever does, I want to eventually end up marrying him and having a family with him  
  
someday yet in the future. Sure, I know he's a lot older than me, but I still want to eventually end up  
  
with him for as long as I possibly can be with him, if I can."  
  
"And have Rini, at least?"  
  
"Yes, I do. If I have no other children, I want to have Rini after I get married someday to  
  
Darien, if at all possible."  
  
"Have you thought about the future at least a bit more since we all got here to Crescent?"  
  
"Yes, I have, Sylvia. I hope my brother Sammy in it won't be as much of a brat as it seems  
  
he might be in it."  
  
"You're talking about your potential time in the 20th Century, aren't you, Serena?"  
  
"Yes, I am. He often seems to be a pest, and he teases me a lot, I think, in it. Or at least what  
  
I've seen of a future that might actually include him in it somehow."  
  
"But will you love him very much?"  
  
"Of course I will, even if we don't always get along, Sylvia."  
  
"Will he know you're also Sailor Moon in the future?"  
  
"I hope not, if such a future comes to pass for me that includes him in my life, Sylvia. Because  
  
if he does, it could be very dangerous for him and others in my life. For I suspect that people who'll  
  
be against us then, will also try to get that information from him somehow, if they possibly can. And  
  
I hope that none of my closest friends who aren't also Sailor Scouts then ever learn such a thing  
  
somehow. For I won't likely want to see them get hurt needlessly by beings not friendly to people like  
  
us at those certain times in our lives, Sylvia."  
  
"Even Molly?"  
  
"Yes, even Molly. Though she might like one of our enemies, I hope that she never finds out  
  
that I'm Sailor Moon at all, for her own safety and for the safety of everyone else close enough to her."  
  
"Which of our enemies, Serena?"  
  
"Someone named Nephlyte, who'll most likely go by the alias of Maxfield Stanton, if I'm not  
  
mistaken about such things, Sylvia."  
  
"Negaverse person?"  
  
"Yes. Why?"  
  
"I think I heard the name sometime during our last battle on Ozotov IV quite a while ago."  
  
"And?"  
  
"If Molly falls for him, she may be in great danger, and you may be forced to make a very  
  
important choice when you're opposing him."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I saw him and Molly in a short vision just before I came to the main ballroom here in this  
  
palace. You were, I believe, in the Tokyo area of Earth. And you were trying to defeat him once and  
  
for all there. But Molly didn't want you to destroy him, for she'd really begun to like him a whole lot,  
  
after knowing him for only a short period of time."  
  
"And?"  
  
"You were about to destroy him, I think. But she put herself between him and you, as you  
  
were in your Sailor Scout state of being as Sailor Moon. I believe it was at least a while before you'd  
  
meet up with Lita again at your school. I think Mars and Mercury were with you, at the time, and  
  
they asked her to step aside so that you could then destroy him. But Molly refused, and I believe she  
  
said something along the lines of, 'If you want to destroy him, you'll have to kill me first,' if not those  
  
exact words, Serena."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I believe that took place after you'd thrown your tiara."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"And when you throw your tiara, you usually destroy whatever or whoever you're aiming it  
  
at, I think."  
  
"Did I hit her with it?"  
  
"No. Fortunately, you were able to stop your tiara before it hit her as she was trying to shield  
  
him with herself."  
  
"I'm glad, of course. Then what happened?"  
  
"Nephlyte eventually got destroyed anyway."  
  
"No doubt by Zoisite and her goons?"  
  
"Yes, but how do you know that?"  
  
"Remember the earlier vision I told you of about two or so months ago, in which she called  
  
Destiny and Bethany both pests? You'd come to my chambers with Mercury, Mars, Venus, and  
  
Jupiter, while you were in your Sailor Scout state as Skyhorse. And I told you about that vision that  
  
she'd been in while I was in my chambers."  
  
"Yes, I remember now, Serena."  
  
"Well, she also seemed to be happy about something major that'd eventually happen in the  
  
future. Apparently, she's secretly had plans to do in Nephlyte. And she's just looking for any reason  
  
to be able to do that. And if things are often as you seem to think that they'll possibly be for us in the  
  
future, she'll try to do that sometime while we're on Earth. Especially if Nephlyte and Molly begin  
  
to have feelings of some kind for each other. Nephlyte will come around and try to beat us, I think,  
  
after Jeddite gets punished by Queen Beryl somehow. But he won't succeed against us, if your vision  
  
is sufficiently accurate in its nature, Sylvia. Zoisite won't be able to resist opposing him, and she'll  
  
probably use his relationship with Molly as some sort of excuse to move against him. At least I think  
  
she might. Then she and her goons might ice him, in a manner of speaking, and possibly step up to  
  
oppose us. Molly then may be in a whole lot more danger, if she eventually recognizes Zoisite  
  
sometime afterward. Zoisite may seek to do her in as well, and I think we'll have to try to keep her  
  
from doing that, of course."  
  
"Will this probably be after Jupiter shows up?"  
  
"Yes, I think so. And maybe before Venus does so."  
  
"Who'll toast Zoisite, then, Serena?"  
  
"Beryl, I think, after we keep her from beating us in battle well enough. And before Darien  
  
gets captured by them, I think, though I could be wrong, of course."  
  
"And how'll you save Darien, if he gets captured?"  
  
"I haven't figured that out yet. My visions and/or dreams haven't really been telling me much,  
  
if anything at all, about such things, at least not of late, Sylvia. That's supposing that they ever will,  
  
of course, Sylvia."  
  
"But you'll eventually save him somehow?"  
  
"You can be sure of that. I'm not going to let Beryl keep us apart forever, if I can possibly  
  
avoid it, of course, Sylvia. And I'll destroy her, though I'll surely not be able to do it alone, of course."  
  
"You mean you'll have at least some help when you face her for the last time."  
  
"Yes. I see Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus standing with me as I use my Crescent Moon  
  
Wand to beat her, as it also holds the Imperium Silver Crystal in it."  
  
"And then what?"  
  
"We either go into a state of dormancy, or we all get hit by a temporary bout of amnesia, for  
  
at least a little while. At least until we all have reason to fight baddies again, of course."  
  
"But you don't see me or a lot of other girls?"  
  
"Nope. I don't know if Destiny and Bethany, at least, will be lost to us before then. But I  
  
haven't seen them yet in any dreams and/or visions of mine that relate to possible futures for us all.   
  
And I don't see you in them. I don't know why, but I don't see you either, at least not yet, in them,  
  
Sylvia."  
  
"When does Rini come to the 20th Century to meet with you all, if you can tell me that?"  
  
"I think after we'll possibly finish with Cardians, she'll show up. And if so, she'll have gone  
  
back in time from the 30th Century away from us, hoping to find the Imperium Silver Crystal, I think.   
  
She'll probably find out I'd have it, I think, if I'm not mistaken, and she'll want to get it so that she can  
  
bring it back to the 30th Century with her. But we'll help her fight against people from the  
  
Negamoon, I think, and we'll eventually beat them completely, if we can't convert them into beings  
  
like us at all. We'll probably find ourselves in another major battle, and win it together. After doing  
  
that, it'll be a matter of time before other baddies show up for us to oppose in our lives."  
  
"Heart-Snatchers?"  
  
"You know about them possibly coming to bother us in the future?"  
  
"Yes, I do. I saw them as well in at least one of my recent dreams and/or visions. And they  
  
won't be easy to defeat in battle either."  
  
"And some of us may fall for a time, if we're not saved in time?"  
  
"I believe so, Serena. Protect Rini with your lives, if at all possible, Serena. I fear that she  
  
may be in very grave danger or worse if they capture her. The battle against them may be very costly,  
  
or it may not. But I fear that Rini will be the most in danger of all of you, for I think that she'll be the  
  
youngest of all of you in your crowd."  
  
"And Hannah might be controlled by some strange being?"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid so. But I don't think that you should ever tell her that, if you can possibly  
  
avoid it. I don't know why, but I just don't think that you should tell Hannah that at all, if you can  
  
avoid doing so."  
  
"Even if it puts Rini in danger by not doing so?"  
  
"Yes. Even if it does, Serena. After the Heart-Snatchers, you might face girls in awful outfits  
  
with pool sticks."  
  
"Pool sticks? What are those?"  
  
"You'll know soon enough, if you don't already. They'll be looking for a single Golden Mirror,  
  
and you'll have to stop them from getting it, if at all possible. I'm not sure if Rini will have it, or  
  
someone else will. But I do suspect that Rini will again be in very serious danger, at least until you  
  
save her again somehow. I don't know how, but you'll save her somehow, Serena. After you do, I'm  
  
not sure yet what'll happen next for you in your lives. Other than you might all eventually get to be  
  
in the 30th Century with each other in Crystal Tokyo, of course."  
  
They talked only a few minutes more with each other about whatever else crossed their minds  
  
then, before they left the room they'd gone to in order to talk in private with each other for a while.   
  
It was now only a few minutes, at most, before local midnight when they did so. And they both  
  
rejoined Darien and Rolando in the main ballroom of the Double Earth Palace no less than a minute  
  
before local midnight in the Crescent area of the Moon. When they did so, Darien was rather glad  
  
to see them again, of course. For they'd been away from the main ballroom for at least a few minutes,  
  
and talking with each other about whatever had crossed their minds in that time.  
  
Darien asked, seconds later, "Did you girls have a good talk with each other, Serena?"  
  
"Of course. I can't tell you what she discussed with me, or at least not yet, though, Darien.   
  
Maybe later, if it's all right with her, I'll be able to do that. Don't even think of asking what we talked  
  
about for a while, at least. For I won't tell you, at least not until I can tell you what we discussed with  
  
each other a little while ago elsewhere in this Double Earth Palace of ours."  
  
"Ours as in belonging to the Moon Kingdom?"  
  
"Of course, Darien. Who else owns these palaces here on the Moon?"  
  
"Nobody else, I suppose." Just then, local midnight arrived, and Serena began seeing other  
  
Princesses start heading toward them all, with their current dance partners.  
  
"Then I mean ours as in belonging to the Moon Kingdom, as you so eloquently put it just now,  
  
Darien. Of course, we're just temporary residents of this Moon Kingdom, of course. For all of us will  
  
eventually die, unless God sees fit to keep us alive forever in the future, somehow."  
  
"Just like your dad's mother Princess Ruth did so long ago?"  
  
"Yes, just like my Grandma Ruth did so long ago, Darien. I never met her in person. She fell  
  
asleep, I believe, sometime on the very day or night that I was born in Moon City, so long ago. And  
  
I never met her, even after my birth, not even at her funeral. And as far as I know, she's never woken  
  
up again since then. Oh, and by the way, several of the Princesses are heading this way with their  
  
current dance partners."  
  
"And where is she now? Or at least where is she currently buried, Serena?" asked Sylvia.  
  
"On the grounds of her family's ancestral home in Achilles City. I carry the name of Ruth as  
  
a reminder of her to my parents. She made it possible for my parents to meet up with each other after  
  
Mom became Queen of our Moon Kingdom, Sylvia. Sometime later, Mom and Dad married each  
  
other, and she was there. Some time later, I finally came along. And when I did, my Grandma Ruth  
  
left us behind and went on ahead to wherever she belonged. I hope to eventually meet her sometime  
  
in the future, if at all possible, once my time has finally come for me, once and for all. That is if it  
  
comes to me before the time of the end, of course."  
  
Just then, Princesses Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy joined the little discussion group with their  
  
current dance partners. After which, Serena then began introducing them to Prince Rolando and  
  
Princess Sylvia, if they'd not yet met up with them before on the Moon. First, she introduced Greg  
  
to them, then came Chad, Ken, and Steven, in that exact order. Of course, she didn't have to introduce  
  
Mina and the rest of the Princesses to Sylvia and Rolando, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
Eventually, Serena decided, "Let's all dance again, people. I'm in the mood to dance again  
  
with my honey."  
  
"Really, Serena? I was hoping to dance with him next."  
  
"Sorry, Raye, he's mine, at least for this next dance, if not all of the other dances during the  
  
rest of this ball here in this main ballroom. Besides, wouldn't you rather dance with the really cool  
  
Chad of Fireball, instead of with my honey?"  
  
"I'd like to dance with both of them, as you very well know, Serena. Just not both of them at  
  
the same time, of course, Serena."  
  
"Girls, please don't fight over me, or I may actually have to retire earlier than you both might  
  
want me to retire."  
  
"Darien, you wouldn't."  
  
"Don't test me, you two. Even you, Serena. I'll do it, if I feel the need to do that. I'm really  
  
not in the mood to hear a lot of arguing between you and Raye right now. Especially since you only  
  
just got back here from wherever you two had just been with a whole lot of other people, Serena."  
  
So Serena and Raye didn't argue any more with each other, at least not while Darien was still  
  
in the main ballroom with them, and attending the ball in it with them. Even though they knew that  
  
the matter wasn't yet resolved, they didn't argue any more about it, at least not while he was still with  
  
them there.  
  
Eventually, then, couples began leaving the main ballroom, of course, for all the obvious  
  
reasons. And by the time it got about two hours after local midnight, the only couples that were still  
  
in the ballroom were the couples that were in Serena's current discussion group, and two other  
  
couples. With those particular couples being the couples that included Destiny and Bethany in them,  
  
of course. Eventually, Destiny and Bethany's current partners made their way to where Serena and  
  
the rest of her current crowd. And they brought Destiny and Bethany there, so that the twins could  
  
both sit down near their sister in the main ballroom.  
  
Destiny eventually said to her non-twin sister and the rest of her current crowd, "People, this  
  
is Prince Solomon of Mount Serenity. And he is the older twin brother of Bethany's current dance  
  
partner, who is Prince Renaldo, and who is also from Mount Serenity. They are both about Serena's  
  
age, but certainly no older than twelve years old, in any case, based on what Mother told me and  
  
Bethany about them just before this ball." Of course, Serena translated this for Bethany's benefit, if  
  
she didn't actually realize that her sister was now introducing their dance partners to the rest of  
  
Serena's current crowd.  
  
"How can you tell who you're with, Destiny?" As Serena said this, she still kept translating  
  
for Bethany's benefit, of course.  
  
"Solomon has a scar on his left cheek just below the eye. He got it when someone's knife  
  
accidentally hit him as a man was trying to hit a rabbit in the woods with it. You see, he was near  
  
enough to a rabbit, and the man threw it toward the rabbit, and hit him instead when Solomon began  
  
trying to follow the rabbit out of a thicket in the woods. It left a roughly two-inch-long scar just under  
  
his left eye, and the scar still remains. Renaldo has no scar at all anywhere on him, from what I've  
  
learned about him in the past few hours or more."  
  
"So what color is this scar?"  
  
"Sort of a purplish-red color, Serena. Or at least that's how Mom described it to me. Right,  
  
Bethany?"  
  
"Sure, Destiny. Mom did describe it sort of like that, if not exactly like that, to the both of us,  
  
I believe."  
  
"And Bethany likes Renaldo, I think," said Destiny.  
  
"Destiny, he's cute, I suppose, but seeing as he's considerably older than both of us, I don't  
  
think there may be a future for the two of us."  
  
"Darien's about fifteen years older than Serena, isn't he?" asked Destiny.  
  
"So, Destiny?"  
  
"If Darien's not too old for Serena, and Serena's not too young for him, then why shouldn't  
  
there be a future for us with Solomon and Renaldo, if God sees fit to make such a future possible for  
  
us all?"  
  
"Because we're too far apart in ages?" asked Bethany.  
  
"I don't think so, Bethany. I think I might like being with Solomon in the future, if God ever  
  
sees fit to make it possible for us to be together somehow in it."  
  
"You'd chase Solomon, or would he chase you, Destiny?"  
  
"I don't know yet. But I do think that being blind has its own certain advantages, at times.   
  
Just as being deaf might. At least you'll never have your ears blasted out by loud music, Bethany,  
  
whenever you're not in your Sailor Scout state of being, most likely."  
  
"You really don't like loud music?"  
  
"No, I don't, Bethany. But I'll probably hear it eventually in my life, if I live long enough in  
  
it, of course, someday in the future. Supposing, of course, that I've never heard loud music before,  
  
Bethany."  
  
Destiny and Bethany conversed a bit longer with each other, their sister Serena, and the rest  
  
of their crowd, before Destiny finally said, "Solomon, I believe that Bethany and I would like to retire  
  
for the rest of the night, if that's all right with you and your brother."  
  
"All right. Do you want us to escort you to your respective chambers here in this palace?"  
  
"No, I think we can find our ways to them easily enough. But thanks for the offer, and the  
  
wonderful time at this ball that we had with you both. Let's try to do this again, sometime, if we  
  
possibly can, okay?"  
  
"You bet, Des. I'd like that very much, and I think that Beth would too, if things work out  
  
well enough for all of us in the meantime."  
  
"Good night, then, Solomon and Aldo. Enjoy your sleeps tonight, you two, then, if you can."  
  
Then Solomon left the main ballroom with his twin brother Renaldo, with no further  
  
discussion about the matter with either of Serena's twin sisters from both of them. After they did so,  
  
Serena then asked, "Des, Beth, and Aldo, if I heard the names correctly enough?"  
  
"Yes, Serena. Des, Beth, and Aldo," said Destiny.  
  
"Who called you 'Des' first, Destiny?"  
  
"Solomon. I like it. But don't any of you use it right now when you talk to me, or refer to me.   
  
Maybe later, you can. But not right now. I like the nickname he just gave me. And he offered to kiss  
  
me. But I told him, 'Not yet, Solomon. Maybe in a few years, perhaps. I'd probably not mind you  
  
doing that. But I'm not yet interested in having a boyfriend in my life.' Then he soon said, 'All right.   
  
I'll wait until you say it's all right, if you ever get the chance to do so. I've not had a girlfriend before,  
  
either, so I understand where you're coming from. But time may be short for our Moon Kingdom, if  
  
your mother's predictions, at least, if not also the predictions of any other people here in the Moon  
  
Kingdom, about the future of it are accurate enough in their natures.' I then said, 'That's a chance I'm  
  
afraid that we'll have to take. You see, I'm still young, and so are you. I don't want to rush things any  
  
faster than I have to in my life, Solomon. And I'm sure that you and your brother don't want to do the  
  
same thing with other things in either or both of your own mortal lives in God's very own Universe.'   
  
He then said, 'True enough, I suppose, Des. But I don't like what may happen to our Moon Kingdom  
  
in the meantime, though, of course.' After which, we eventually came over to you all here in the main  
  
ballroom with Bethany and Renaldo."  
  
"Bethany, who called you 'Beth' first?"  
  
"Renaldo did, Serena. And just as Destiny likes her new nickname, I like mine. But as with  
  
her nickname, you aren't to use it with me, or in reference to me, at least until further notice. And  
  
after he gave me that nickname, I gave him the nickname of Aldo. He likes it too, and he'll let  
  
Destiny and me use it for him whenever we so choose. But not the rest of you, at least until further  
  
notice. Is that clear, Serena?"  
  
"Not even once, without his permission?"  
  
"Not even once, Serena. And Destiny and I will thump any girl who does so before he says  
  
it's all right for them to do so. Even if they are you, Serena. Darien, you and Rolando aren't to use  
  
that name either, or he might thump you for doing so, or get someone else to thump you, if he can't  
  
do it himself. Is that clear, guys?"  
  
"Yes, it is, Bethany. We'll not use it then, until he says it's all right," said Darien, seconds  
  
later.  
  
"Thank you. Serena, we both love you very much, but if we have to, we'll thump you, or any  
  
other girl who uses that nickname for him before he says it's all right for them to do so. And we'll do  
  
the same thing if you call us Des or Beth before we tell you that you can, girls. Even if they're you,  
  
Serena, we'll do it."  
  
"All right, Destiny and Bethany, we'll not call you those names until you say that we can, if  
  
you two ever do so. That is, if we can possibly avoid it, of course."  
  
Then Destiny and Bethany soon left the main ballroom. After which they then retired to their  
  
respective chambers for the rest of the night, of course. Soon afterward, Steven, Ken, Chad, and Greg  
  
did the same thing. And so did Rolando and Darien. A few minutes after Darien left the main  
  
ballroom, Lita and Mina did so. Raye and Amy soon followed, which then left Serena alone in the  
  
main ballroom with Sylvia again.  
  
A few minutes later, after conversing briefly with each other in the main ballroom, Serena and  
  
Sylvia then parted from each other just outside it. And Sylvia went to her chambers in the palace, also  
  
for the rest of the night. When Sylvia did so, Serena then went to the main dining hall elsewhere in  
  
the Double Earth Palace of Crescent, on the Moon, for a bedtime snack, most likely.  
  
There are five more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might  
  
pass for Chapter 21, Serena will make at least one prediction related to her and her family. What that  
  
prediction or those predictions might be, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter  
  
gets put up as needed on , in fact. This particular story here will have a total of 26  
  
chapter-like sections in it, most likely, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest  
  
of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,  
  
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the  
  
seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume  
  
in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the  
  
point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up,  
  
I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll  
  
have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able  
  
to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,  
  
however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size,  
  
whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I  
  
say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this  
  
series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until  
  
later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and  
  
all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	21. Chapter 21

In the last chapter, there was at least a little romance shared between certain characters  
  
during a ball in the Double Earth Palace's main ballroom, and in at least one area near it. Also  
  
there were some things discussed by other characters who were also present at that same ball.   
  
And at least one prediction relating to them and/or others was also made during that ball. If not  
  
more than one, in fact.  
  
This next chapter will be short, in fact. But it'll still hopefully give you all at least a little  
  
bit more information about any number of potential future happenings for the main characters in  
  
this story series, people. If not a lot of such information, of course.  
  
Other things will be mentioned in other remaining chapter-like sections for this story as  
  
needed. But just what those things actually are here, readers, you'll all just have to wait and see,  
  
obviously enough.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if  
  
that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite  
  
naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Main Dining Hall In The Double Earth Palace  
  
Crescent, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
  
December 22, 986  
  
When Serena then got there several minutes later, at most, she was rather surprised to see  
  
someone else there. That someone else was Queen Serenity, and she was now having some pizza and  
  
other foods and at least one kind of non-alcoholic beverage, when her daughter Serena walked into  
  
the main dining hall only a few minutes or so after leaving the area of the palace's main ballroom.  
  
Serenity was the first to see Serena, when Serena entered the main dining hall, and she said,  
  
"I'm feeding myself, so that my babies will hopefully grow well enough to survive at least until they're  
  
born to me and your Dad, Serena."  
  
"Are you really carrying a lot of babies in you now, Mother?"  
  
"It seems so, Serena. Am I bigger than I was when I was carrying the twins, Serena?"  
  
"The truth?"  
  
"Yes, it seems I do want to know what you really think."  
  
"I suppose so. But you were just carrying two then, Mom."  
  
"Well, now it appears I have five in me now."  
  
"Logically, then, you'd probably have to be bigger around than you were with the twins this  
  
far along the last time you were carrying, I think, Mom."  
  
"It stands to reason that's true, Serena. Are you all right with me having more kids?"  
  
"If God sees fit to allow you to have more kids, that's fine with me, I suppose, Mother. I  
  
wasn't ever hoping to be a sister, though, to anyone, Mom. I was expecting to be an only child, as a  
  
matter of fact."  
  
"But then the twins came."  
  
"Yes, they did, and it's been interesting these past seven or so years with them around us in  
  
our lives."  
  
"I'd suppose so, Serena. Am I looking like a house, though?"  
  
"Not really, Mom. Or at least not yet, I think, if you'll look like that before you have these  
  
babies here on the Moon, or anywhere else you might have to deliver them in our Universe, if it can't  
  
be anywhere here on the Moon, of course."  
  
"Do you want to put your hand on my abdomen, and feel them kick under it, Serena?"  
  
"You don't mind?"  
  
"You did it when I was carrying the twins. I don't see any reason why you can't do it with  
  
these babies as well, Serena."  
  
"All right. But you'll need to turn enough for me to do that, then, Mother, if you think I should  
  
do that."  
  
"I understand that." Serenity then set down the piece of pizza and glass of orange juice she  
  
was currently consuming, and she turned toward where Serena sat within reach of her at the same  
  
table that she was now at in the main dining hall of the Double Earth Palace in Crescent. She then  
  
wiped off her left hand with a little napkin, and said, "Please give me one of your hands, then,  
  
Serena."  
  
Serena did so, and after her mother had put Serena's hand on her abdomen, Serena then began  
  
running her hand over it wherever she saw fit to do that. Within minutes, at most, Serena began  
  
feeling the kicks of at least one of the babies now inside her mother.  
  
She said, "Mom, I think there are at least two, if not three, girls inside you now. And they  
  
seem to be trying to dance to the rhythm of your heartbeat, if I can tell what they're apparently doing  
  
inside you right now. I also think there are three girls and two boys in you right now, though. There  
  
are heads spaced about seventy or so degrees apart, on the average, it seems, in your womb. The boys  
  
appear to both be near your right hip, I think, while one of the girls has her head oriented straight up  
  
in your womb, if I'm not mistaken. The other two girls, if there are two other girls in you, both appear  
  
to be to her left, with one of them about even with your left hip."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so. If you don't believe me, ask Dr. Matthew to confirm my suspicions within  
  
the next few days, at most. It seems that the kids aren't much in the mood for a lot of movement right  
  
now. Sure, they might move a little by then, but I don't expect much movement from them. You see,  
  
you apparently are indeed carrying five babies, not just one or two, Mom. There's only a limited area  
  
in which they'll be able to move, even over the next few days, at least. Sure, you'll probably get even  
  
bigger, but that still might remain the case for them, for they'll probably grow too, of course, in the  
  
meantime, as you do that."  
  
Serena then removed her hand, after saying, "The girl at the top, I think, will be the first of  
  
them to be born, followed by both boys, and then both of the remaining girls that are now inside you,  
  
Mother."  
  
"And do you have names for them yet?"  
  
"No, Mother. Bethany, Destiny, and I don't yet have names for them all, for we've not thought  
  
that far along yet. We've mainly been training of late, as I'm sure you're well aware of by now,  
  
Mother."  
  
"Yes, I suppose you have. Well, I'm hoping that we'll be able to see them by sometime in  
  
April or May, Serena, if things go sufficiently according to plan for us and them in the meantime, of  
  
course."  
  
"And I hope that I'll finally have at least one brother in my life, if not more than one."  
  
"That'd be nice, wouldn't it, Serena?"  
  
"Sure, Mother. You've got that right, of course."  
  
"Are you hungry now, Serena?"  
  
Serena looked at her mother for a moment, then said, "As a matter of fact, I am, Mother."  
  
"Then feel free to help me consume all this food, Serena, until you feel that you've had enough  
  
food for a bedtime snack."  
  
Then Serena began doing exactly that, as she also discussed at least a few more things with  
  
her mother Queen Serenity, often at quite considerable length, of course. They often talked with each  
  
other as they both put away a quite considerable amount of food and drank in the Double Earth  
  
Palace's main dining hall. And not just about one or two things, either. They discussed several things  
  
that came to their minds as they ate and drank the food and drink that Queen Serenity had originally  
  
intended to consume all by herself, before Serena had unexpectedly shown up as well in the main  
  
dining hall of that palace on the Moon.  
  
Eventually, then, they parted from each other again, and both of them returned to each of their  
  
respective chambers in that palace for at least the rest of the night, if not for a longer time than that.   
  
Serenity left the main dining hall first, then Serena left it about two minutes after her mother had done  
  
that. And when they each returned to their respective chambers in that palace, they both soon retired  
  
to their own beds in them, where they both then slept at least until about an hour or two before local  
  
noon in the Crescent area of the Moon.  
  
There are four more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might  
  
pass for Chapter 22, Serena will talk with several others in her Imperial Palace chambers for a while  
  
about certain people and things in her life, at least, if not in anyone else's as well. What she'll say  
  
when she does so there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as  
  
needed on , in fact. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections  
  
in it, most likely, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest  
  
of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,  
  
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the  
  
seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume  
  
in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the  
  
point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up,  
  
I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll  
  
have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able  
  
to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,  
  
however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size,  
  
whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I  
  
say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this  
  
series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until  
  
later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and  
  
all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	22. Chapter 22

In the last chapter, Serena made some predictions about the future while having a conversation with her mother. She made those predictions while she and her mother conversed over some food and drink that Queen Serenity had gotten for herself before going to bed. Queen Serenity was now also carrying five babies inside her, in fact. And Serena made some predictions about those babies, as well, in the last chapter that was posted for this particular story of mine.  
  
In the next chapter, Serena and several other girls will discuss their expectations for the future again. And they all will do so for at least a little while, if not a long while, in Serena's Imperial Palace chambers in Moon City on the Moon.  
  
Other things will be mentioned in other remaining chapter-like sections for this story as needed. But just what those things actually are here, readers, you'll all just have to wait and see, obviously enough.  
  
Now without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here, if that's all right with you here, readers. Please do read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Serena's Chambers In The Imperial Palace  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
December 24, 986  
  
A couple of days later, at most, then, Serena and a number of her fellow Princesses were together in her Imperial Palace chambers. Those other Princesses were Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, and Sylvia. They were just talking about whatever came to mind for them all in her chambers. Serena was sitting on her bed, and the other Princesses were sitting on chairs or cushions spread out near her in them. It was just after they'd all eaten lunch with each other and several other Princesses in the Imperial Palace's main dining room. And they'd then gone not too long afterward to Serena's chambers in the Imperial Palace.  
  
Raye then asked, "Serena, do you yourself have any major plans for any particular time next year yet?"  
  
"Perhaps get a boyfriend? That is if I can, of course."  
  
"You mean just like Sylvia now has?"  
  
"Well, yeah, Raye."  
  
"But you realize that you'll only be eleven years old next year, Serena, I hope," said Raye.  
  
"Yes, I do. But I've still heard that any number of people younger than the twins have been engaged before on Earth, Raye."  
  
"Really, Serena?"  
  
"Yes, Mars girl. The twins are now about ninety or so months old, Raye. Sylvia's told me that kids as young as five Terran years of age have even been engaged to each other before. Sure, it might not always happen. But it still has been known to happen every once in a while, according to her."  
  
"I don't think that's realistic, Serena."  
  
Sylvia then said, "It's happened before in the Kingdom of Punjab and Kashmir, Raye. And children as young as you, if not younger, have already been married to each other before. Granted, they might not be old enough to have children with each other. But they're still too often married to each other at a very young age, at such times, Raye. I really don't like it, of course, for the obvious reasons. But that's how certain things like that are at least every so often in that country, if not others as well on my world of Earth."  
  
"That's just not right, Sylvia," said Amy.  
  
"I know that, Amy. But it still happens in that country, at least, if not others as well on Earth. You see, I really do think, in my own mortal life, here in God's very own Universe, that kids like us shouldn't be forced to grow up faster than we really want to, Amy. In my country, however, I don't think children can legally get engaged to each other before they are about ten to fifteen of our years old. I could be wrong, of course, but I doubt it. For I've never heard of any person in our country getting engaged before at least nine or ten years of age. And I don't think that children in Rolando's country can get engaged before they're at least nine or ten of our years old either, at least not legally, anyway."  
  
Mina said, "If that's the case, Sylvia, then that's good. That way the children have at least a little bit of time to be kids, and not have to be so adult-like all the time. Sure, kids like us all over this solar system might actually dream of eventually getting engaged or married to other people. But I really think that they don't necessarily need to actually get married at a very young age."  
  
"Mina's right," said Lita. "We all need time to be children in our lives. Some of us more than others, of course. No matter who we are, we children need time to just be kids in our lives whenever we want or need to be kids. Instead of having to be what might essentially be called 'Miniature Adults', if I'm not mistaken about such things in my life."  
  
"Miniature adults, Lita?" asked Destiny.  
  
"Yes, that's what I mean. In essence, I'm suggesting that some people in this solar system might want children in it to be adults in children's bodies. And I don't think that's right."  
  
"Anyone in particular?"  
  
"Those people in it who have their children get engaged before they're old enough to decide whether or not they want to do that, and possibly get married, to the person that they'd be engaged to in their lives."  
  
Lita took a sip of milk from a tall glass near her for a few seconds. And then she added, "Or those people who'd generally arrange marriages for any or all of their children without their consents to permit their parents to do that."  
  
"So you don't believe in arranged marriages, normally?" asked Bethany.  
  
"No, I don't, Bethany. If the children want to have their parents arrange the marriage in question, that's one thing. And I can understand that. But if they don't, then I don't. I think that young people should normally be able to choose who they are to marry in their lives, if they ever live long enough to get married to anyone else at all in them."  
  
"So you're thinking that love should be the primary reason to get married to another person?"  
  
"Yes, Serena, I am. And I'm sure the rest of you girls feel the same way, or much the same way, that I do about things like this in my own mortal life, in each of your own mortal lives. Maybe Serena feels that way most of all of us, but I'm not sure. She may not yet actually be in love with Prince Darien. But I think that if she isn't yet, she'll eventually be in love with him soon enough. Raye may not like this much. But I think that Serena will eventually win Darien's love, and he'll win hers. I also strongly suspect that Chad may eventually fall for Raye, if he hasn't already. And that Raye will also fall for him, if she's not already done so in her life either."  
  
"And what about you and Ken, then, Lita?" asked Amy.  
  
"Amy, I think we may have a definite future with each other, if we somehow both manage to survive the likely end of the Moon Kingdom. I don't know when, and I don't know where. But I think that we may eventually fall for each other, and possibly get married someday in the future. Whether it's in the 20th Century or the 30th Century, I'm not sure. But I think we'll eventually marry each other someday somewhere."  
  
"And what of me and Greg, Lita?"  
  
"Same thing, Amy. You two may take longer than the rest of us to fall in love with each other. But I think that the both of you will eventually do so, someday, and somewhere, in God's very own Universe."  
  
"And me, Lita?" asked Mina.  
  
"I don't really know for sure who you'll end up with yet, if I ever will, Mina. It could be Steven, or it could be someone else entirely. But I think that you'll eventually find love come your way in your life, if you somehow survive the end of our Moon Kingdom. I don't know who, I don't know when, and I don't know where. But somehow I just know that I honestly think that you'll eventually find love coming your way in your life. When it comes, hold onto that love as best as you can for as long as you possibly can, Mina. For I believe that the person you fall most in love with may very well turn out to be the one you'll spend the rest of your life with. I don't know how long you'll be able to be with each other, after you fall in love with each other, I just believe that you might possibly be spending the rest of your life with that person you'll probably fall most in love with in it."  
  
"And what of the twins?"  
  
"I can't see that far ahead yet. For I don't know if they'll survive the Moon Kingdom yet. Nor do I know if Sylvia and/or Rolando will do the same yet, Mina."  
  
"What if we're both on the Earth when the Negaverse finally comes here to the Moon, Lita?"  
  
"I don't think that'll be the case, Sylvia. I have this strange feeling that both you and him, as well as Prince Darien, of course, will be on the Moon when they come here to wipe us out as much as they possibly can, if not entirely. I don't exactly know where you'll both be on the Moon, if that's the case, Sylvia. But I do know that they'll most likely give little or no mercy to those of us they somehow ever meet here on the Moon. And most especially to those who are royals in our Moon Kingdom, of course. Which means, by logical extension, then, that those of us in Serena's Court might be in the most danger of all of our people. Not including our dear Serena, of course, for the obvious reasons. They might really go after Serena and Prince Darien more than after the rest of us, I think. And then if the visions and/or dreams of many of our people over a rather long time are sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, I believe we all know what'll eventually happen next. At least until those of us who've somehow survived the end of the Moon Kingdom begin getting transferred to Earth, if at all possible."  
  
"Darien and I get zapped, sometime, and Mother tries to save as many of us as she can, of course, after we do. I don't know about the rest of you getting killed yet by our Negaverse foes, if I ever will before I get zapped near Darien by Beryl. But I suspect that the rest of you may already be asleep by then, or at least one of you might be. I don't know anything more about the end of the Moon Kingdom yet, other than what I've told you before, girls. When I get zapped with Darien, Mom will not want to see us lose our futures, if at all possible. And she'll then save as many of us as she can. Even if it means her death. I don't know exactly what'll then happen to those of us who somehow survive the end of the Moon Kingdom, and exactly where we'll end up on Earth, if we survive our Moon Kingdom's end somehow, and the transfer process to Earth. But I suspect that at least some, if not all of us, will manage to somehow get safely down to Earth somehow," Serena soon said.  
  
"In at least one zone?" asked Destiny.  
  
"Yes. I don't know how many versions of us there'll be, if any or all of us get copied somehow. But I still do somehow suspect that those of us who survive the transfer process to Earth will often end up in at least two zones, if not more. One for sure, at least, if not others as well, I believe, for all the obvious reasons, of course."  
  
"And do you like the idea of that happening?"  
  
"I don't know yet, Bethany. But I figure that if it does happen that we get sent to at least two zones on Earth, we can protect more of the Earth if we ever get to be Sailor Scouts in those particular zones on Earth. That is, of course, if things go sufficiently according to plan for us and those who we're trying to protect from harm on it, Bethany."  
  
"And if we somehow meet copies of ourselves, then what?" asked Amy.  
  
"Then we cross that bridge when we come to it, of course, Amy."  
  
"I see, Serena."  
  
"Of course, if we end up being copied, the original version or versions of those of us who are each copied might not be as powerful as it or they most likely would be if it or they weren't copied, for all the obvious reasons."  
  
"You mean that if we're copied, then our powers might be split amongst all the versions of us that survive the transfer process that'd bring us eventually to Earth, if we managed to survive at least that long?" asked Mina, after a few more seconds passed for everyone now in Serena's Imperial Palace chambers.  
  
"Yes, Mina, I do mean that, I think. Of course, you know I could also be wrong about such things. Maybe if we're copied, our powers will be multiplied so that each version of us can someday fight with full power and effectiveness, whenever possible, in the future."  
  
"But you don't know for sure, of course, if that's the case, at least not yet, Serena."  
  
"Of course not, Mina. And I won't likely know it unless I meet at least one other version of myself, I'm sure. I also believe that the rest of you won't know for sure if that's the case if you don't meet at least one other version of yourselves as well. Not to mention at least one more version of me, of course."  
  
"Even maybe a fake Sailor Scout who somehow tries to pretend she's you, Serena?"  
  
"Like who, Raye?" asked Serena.  
  
"A certain blonde Negaverser, I think. I saw her in at least one of my dreams and/or visions last night, while I was in my bed back in my Double Earth Palace chambers. She also was going after Tuxedo Mask while four of us were in our Sailor Scout states of being."  
  
"And then what?"  
  
"She stabbed him in the back with something I can't really identify well enough yet, if I'll see that particular dream or vision of mine at least one more time in the future."  
  
"And then what happened?"  
  
"Sailor Venus showed up to save the day, I suppose you could say."  
  
"You mean me, Raye?"  
  
"Yes, I do, it seems, Mina."  
  
"And was Zoisite with Malachite?"  
  
"I believe so, Mina."  
  
"And I suppose they wanted certain crystals from Tuxedo Mask, who didn't show while you were otherwise occupied with Malachite and Zoisite?"  
  
"Yes, but how do you know this?"  
  
"Because I saw a similar vision or dream some time ago, while we were still at the Rainbow Springs Palace shortly after we all became Junior Sailor Scouts, except for Sylvia, of course."  
  
"And you've not told us about it since then, until now?"  
  
"I couldn't, unless someone else told of a similar or exact same vision or dream of their own first. And because you now have, I can tell you that I had such a thing become known to me quite some length of time ago, Raye."  
  
"And at the time that this scene from our dreams or visions takes place, what do we apparently know currently about Tuxedo Mask?"  
  
"Evidently, you girls know of Darien, and you know of Tuxedo Mask. You know that Darien is often ragging on Serena, at least, if not any of you others that I have seen so far in this vision, and that you have seen so far in it, Raye. You know Tuxedo Mask helps the Scouts as often as he can against beings from the Negaverse. But you don't know much of anything else about him or Tuxedo Mask, and how come he can show up so often when you Scouts are in a whole lot of trouble during your battles."  
  
"Is he sort of a free agent at the time supposedly shown in our dreams or visions, Mina?"  
  
"Sort of, I think. He's hunting for crystals, just as the baddies that you're facing are, and just as you are, as of such a time. And he doesn't want the baddies to get them, and he may not want you to get them. I show up just before he's about to trade at least one crystal in his possession for your lives, I think, and keep Zoisite and Malachite from getting them. But eventually the crystals all end up in the same place, and they form something that your mother currently holds, I think, Serena, Destiny, and Bethany."  
  
"No way, Mina!"  
  
"Yes, they do, Serena. It's something that I think you'll become rather familiar with in the very near future, if you're not already familiar with it in your life."  
  
"Something that survives the end of our Moon Kingdom?"  
  
"Yes. Remember your recent visions and dreams about possible futures for us, even before we leave the Moon behind, Serena?"  
  
"You're not saying that we'll see the Imperium Silver Crystal not long after you save the day?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I believe that I am saying that you'll see it before we wipe Beryl out and avenge our Moon Kingdom's destruction, Serena," answered Mina.  
  
"I and who else?"  
  
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and me, at least, I believe, if nobody else as well, Serena."  
  
"Will this be before or after we eventually find out who Tuxedo Mask really is?"  
  
"I believe before. Why?"  
  
"Just wondering, that's all, Mina," replied Serena.  
  
Then the girls conversed with each other quite a bit more, at least until they decided that they'd done so long enough for a while. They did this at least until the middle of the afternoon, if not until a later time than that. After which, Serena soon let all of the Princesses now with her in her own Imperial Palace chambers out of them, if they wanted to leave them at all. That was, of course, just so that they could all do whatever they'd want to do before that night's ball, or before they each had their respective breakfasts the following morning, whatever the case might be for all of her fellow Princesses that'd just visited her for some time in her own Imperial Palace chambers.  
  
Serena watched her fellow Princesses leave her chambers. And then she went to work on a few other items that she'd either bought or made for other people in her life. That was so those items could hopefully be ready to be put under a tree in the Imperial Palace's main ballroom before the end of Christmas Eve, which it now was, either by her or by someone else entirely. She was about done with all of those items, already. But she still had a little work to do on all of them, after she'd already prepared other gifts from her for their time under that same tree over the last few days or weeks, at least, if not longer than that. When she finished her work on each of the items she'd still hadn't finished taking care of before she'd been visited by her sisters and several other Princesses, she then put each of those items on a cart already partly loaded with other items she'd placed on it before she'd been visited by Destiny, Bethany, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, and Sylvia earlier that same day.  
  
When that was done well enough to suit her easily enough, she then left her chambers soon afterward, and headed herself off toward the main ballroom, so that she could put each of those items under the tree all by herself, if at all possible. Certain items she'd worked on had needed to be put on it by her with some help from at least one other person, due to their sizes. Of course, any such item that was put on that cart by more than one person wasn't for the person or persons helping her put them on her cart. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. Eventually, she arrived in the main ballroom, and began unloading those items from her cart as quickly as she could, and as inconspicuously as she could, just in case anyone was trying to spy on her as she did so. Whenever necessary and possible, she found other people in the main ballroom who were preparing it for that night's ball to help her take certain other items off her cart, and to help her place them under the tree as well. Finally, her cart was completely empty, and she then left the main ballroom again, so that she could get ready for that night's ball, if she'd likely want to attend it at all, of course.  
  
She was soon back in her chambers again with her now-empty cart. Which she then put back in one of the closets in them, in very short order. That done, she then began getting ready for that night's ball as quickly as she could. It didn't take her long to choose a gown for her to wear during that ball. After which she was soon in her bath. She bathed for about an hour or so, in fact. And then she quickly dressed again in that very same gown, which was mostly pink with a sash that had white, crimson, and royal blue stripes on it. And there were also some golden crescent moons often superimposed on the stripes of her sash, on either side of that sash. Her dress wasn't entirely pink, for several bright red roses were spread all over it, at least near her gown's hem, if not elsewhere on the dress as well. And she liked the gown that she'd chosen for that ball, as a matter of fact.  
  
After dressing in that gown, she then did her hair faster than she normally would. For she'd apparently spent more time in the bath than she might have wanted to do when she'd first gotten into it. It took her about half the time for her to do her hair than it normally would after one of her baths, because of that fact. She was out of her chambers, then, about ten to fifteen minutes after getting out of her bath. And she was soon hurrying herself toward the Imperial Palace's main ballroom.  
  
There are three more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 23, Serena will have a rather private discussion about some very important things and people with Raye. This discussion will take place in Raye's chambers, just before they both go to a ball in the Imperial Palace's main ballroom. What she and Raye will say when they do that there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as needed on , in fact. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections in it, most likely, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same, readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!  
  



	23. Chapter 23

In the last chapter, Serena and several other girls discussed their expectations about the future. And they did so for a while in Serena's Imperial Palace chambers in Moon City on the Moon, in fact. They wondered what the future held for each of them, to at least some degree, if not to a great deal, in the last chapter of this story.  
  
In the next chapter, Serena and Raye will have a rather private discussion with each other about some very important things and people. And they will have this discussion in Raye's own Imperial Palace chambers, before they both go to a ball in the Imperial Palace's main ballroom. This discussion will be the main part, if not the only part, of this next chapter, people.  
  
After this chapter-like section, there will be only three more such sections to put up as needed here. This section is what you might call Chapter 23, if you could call each section of this story a chapter, in fact, people. So the story will have 26 sections in it, once I finish putting it up here, by logical extension.  
  
Now, without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here,  
if that's all right with you all here, readers. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Raye's Chambers In The Imperial Palace  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
December 24, 986 - December 25, 986  
  
On her way there, she nearly collided with Raye and Bridget, who were also heading toward the main ballroom. She just barely avoided colliding with them as they were both exiting Raye's Imperial Palace chambers.  
  
Raye and Bridget avoided colliding with Serena when they ducked back into Raye's chambers as she passed them. Then, as soon as Raye realized that Serena was safely past them, she shouted,  
"Serena, you Meatball Head, you could have run us over!"  
  
That stopped Serena, about five to ten feet past Raye's door, if not more. Serena turned back,  
and came back to where Raye and Bridget were still near Raye's door. Raye told B.B. to go to the main ballroom by herself, for she was going to have a word with Serena for a little while, at least. B.B. asked, "Is that really necessary, Raye?"  
  
"I'm afraid so, Bridget. We can't have Serena nearly run us over like she almost did just now,  
can we?"  
  
"I suppose not, Raye. But, somehow, I don't think that Serena was trying to run us both over."  
  
"Maybe so, but she might still have been going too fast in these halls, just the same."  
  
"Perhaps. But if you have a word with her, please try to be fair, okay, Raye? You may be mad at her, but is that any reason you can't be fair with her, just the same?"  
  
"I suppose you're right. But I'm still rather hot about her nearly running us over like she almost did."  
  
"Understood." Then B.B. rather reluctantly left the area, and headed off toward the main ballroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Raye then pulled Serena by the arm into her chambers, and secured the door of them rather securely behind them both, when they were both in them.  
  
"First off, Serena, whatever we say in here stays in here, if at all possible. Is that clear,  
Serena?"  
  
"Understood, Raye." Serena soon said.  
  
Then Raye shouted rather loudly, "Serena, what was the big idea of running so fast in the halls near my chambers? Did your feet catch on fire? I don't normally see you run so fast, Serena!"  
  
"There's a ball I was trying to hurry to, Raye. You know which ball I'm talking about, I know. And I took longer than expected with my bath. I was trying to make sure I got there before its planned start time."  
  
"Maybe so, but are you sure that's all it is?"  
  
"What do you mean, Raye?"  
  
"You know Darien is often near the main ballroom of whatever palace we're currently in residence at on Christmas Eve, whenever he's on the Moon, at this time of the day, I'm sure, Serena, for he's done it at least six or seven times since your first birthday, when we first met you."  
  
"So what of it?"  
  
"Are you sure that you didn't just want to be with him instead, and possibly even get kissed by him, Serena?"  
  
"I'm too young to get kissed by him, considering he's so much older than we both are, Raye." Raye began lowering her voice, if she'd not already done so, just after Serena said that.  
  
"Serena, we all know you've been dreaming of getting kissed by him, and of you kissing him back as well. For you've told us any number of times that you've often dreamed of such things happening, Serena, as you very well know by now. You're angling for a kiss, I'm sure, from him."  
  
"I'm not yet eleven years old, Raye! And what's this I heard about you and Chad wanting to go back to Mars for a vacation sometime in the next few weeks, if at all possible?"  
  
"Rumors, Serena. That's all they are, Serena!"  
  
"Oh, really? Sure, Raye! You can't fool me, Raye. You've been wanting to go back to Mars for quite a while, and you've not been able to hide it from me very well. Sure, you might be able to hide it from all the other Princesses and B.B., but you can't hide it from me, Raye! You don't want to be here on the Moon when they come to wipe us out on it."  
  
"Serena, you must be kidding! And leave all the cute guys here on the Moon to you? No way,  
Serena, am I going to do that, if I can avoid it, even if I might want to go back to Mars as you say that I do! Meatball Head, who told you all these rumors?"  
  
"A certain Martian Prince from somewhere in the area of Flame Canyon told me so, I think. I don't know his name, exactly, but he was wearing a sash with the seal of Flame Canyon's local government on it."  
  
"Describe him, if you can, Serena."  
  
"I didn't see much of him, other than his sash, but I could tell that he had a little brown beard and a handlebar moustache. His hair was about chin-length, I think on him, and he had on a mostly purple and gold robe that fell to just above his sandals. This robe had a primarily blue and white sash on it, and it ran from his right shoulder to his left hip, with a little bit of an arc to that sash as he wore it. His voice sounded old, but his face, what I saw of it, looked rather young. A scar ran just above his eyebrows, and just below his hairline."  
  
"A jagged scar, or a straight scar, and in what direction was it basically running?"  
  
"A three-zigzag scar just above his nose, running mainly toward his left temple. The scar ran from just about an inch above his right eyebrow's middle to about two or three inches above the outside end of his left eyebrow, Raye."  
  
"Prince Caliterios, then, told you all those rumors, Serena. He's had it in for me and my family since my Dad's Dad told him not to come to our home anymore for any reason whatsoever, not even on government-related business, and my Dad and Mom backed him up when he did so. He's had a thing for Bridget and other members of my family since he was about Darien's age. He's now about Queen Serenity's age, and always opposes us whenever he can back on Mars. He hates the fact that Bridget and I have been off Mars so much of late, especially me. He'd do almost anything to see us disgraced and forced to return to Mars for the rest of our mortal lives. He must be searching for us now on the Moon. Because why else would he be here, when he's normally on Mars?"  
  
"He hates you Hinos?"  
  
"Yes. And his father was much the same way that he is now."  
  
"He wants to ruin you all?"  
  
"If possible, yes."  
  
"And how would you and Chad figure into his plans, then, Raye?"  
  
"If he can get enough of our people to believe that Chad and I are secretly planning to go back to Mars for a certain kind of vacation, it could mean serious damage to both our reputations."  
  
"What kind of vacation?"  
  
"An illicit affair kind of vacation, I figure."  
  
"And you're not planning that kind of vacation."  
  
"Right. You should know me better than that. Sure, I do like Chad at least a little, and I'm reasonably certain that he likes me at least a little too. But do you think that we'd needlessly ruin our reputations by having such a kind of vacation, Serena? Especially since both of us aren't yet teenagers in our lives, if we'll ever be?"  
  
"No, of course not. I do know you better than that, Raye. But how are we going to stop him from spreading these rumors, if we can, Raye, if that's what he's trying to do with you and Chad and a whole lot of other people? And does B.B. also know well enough about him yet, Raye?"  
  
"More than she'd like to, Serena. She wishes that she'd never have to worry about him at all anymore in her life, and I don't blame her, of course, Serena. I feel the same way, or at least as much as I can, about him as well, Serena."  
  
"Would you be surprised if he's working against our Moon Kingdom, and trying to make sure that it's ruined by the Negaverse when they come here?"  
  
"No, I'd not be surprised at all. I've heard him numerous times speaking against Queen Serenity and a whole lot of other people in our Moon Kingdom. As a matter of fact, he thinks,  
apparently, that your sisters are dumb, and can't do anything for themselves at all. He wishes, I believe, that they'd just disappear to somewhere else entirely, and never come back to us anywhere in the known Universe. I'd not be surprised, even, if he wishes that they were both dead once and for all."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"He hopes, I believe, that your mother loses the babies she's now carrying inside her."  
  
"Who told you about them?"  
  
"Your mother told everyone else who didn't know about them before yesterday about them last night, just before we left the Double Earth Palace in Crescent not much later, so that we could all come here. She told us all in private, just before she met up with you, Darien, Daniel, and your twin sisters in the South Garden of that palace. We now know that she's expecting to 'Shoot The Comet' sometime in the next three to five months, if things go sufficiently well for her and those babies that she's now carrying."  
  
"So we have to hope that she and them all remain in good health for at least as long as she's carrying them, of course."  
  
"Yes, we do. If all goes according to plan, you'll have at least two baby brothers, as you thought might happen, Serena."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"But in the meantime, we'll have to probably do what we can to help your mother before it's time for her to deliver those babies."  
  
"Yes, I suppose so."  
  
"Even if that means getting after the bully Caliterios, I believe."  
  
"How would we do that?"  
  
"I haven't yet figured that out yet. But if he can force Bridget and I, at least, to stay on Mars for the rest of our lives, then you know what that might mean for our Moon Kingdom, Serena."  
  
"We'd not be together at all."  
  
"Nope. We'd not be able to train as Sailor Scouts together, Serena. We'd not be able to have fun together. You might get all the cute guys, and not just Darien. I'd not be able to be with the rest of you from elsewhere in our solar system, probably. It'd be like being in a bottomless pit of fire,  
Serena, for a very long time, if not forever. Believe me, Serena, we may not always get along well with each other. But I'd certainly miss being with the only Meatball Head I've ever known in my life, and all my friends from elsewhere in this solar system, at least."  
  
"Meatball Head in a good sense or a bad sense?"  
  
"Both, I suppose, Serena. You really grow on people, Serena. Either they hate you or they love you. There's rarely any middle ground when it comes to being with you at all, Serena. Except for those of us who are fortunate to know you well enough, I suppose, of course. Like me and several other people, at least, if not many people, in both our lives, Serena, of course."  
  
"Is that so, Raye?"  
  
"Yes, it most definitely is, Serena. Sometimes, you're really a problem to deal with, and at other times, you're really a wonderful person to be with."  
  
"I suppose so, Raye. I suppose I've called you a hothead or similar enough things often enough. Just as you've often called me a Meatball Head or similar enough things before as well."  
  
"You've never cursed at me, thankfully."  
  
"No, I've not, Raye. But I have to admit, while we're still both having this private conversation with each other, I've come close, I think, to doing that. And I've probably come rather close to cursing at a number of other people in my life, Raye. Probably not as close with them as I have with you, but I still have to admit, I've nearly done it at least once before in my life."  
  
"But you didn't?"  
  
"No, I didn't. Not even with you, Raye, in fact. I still consider you to be sort of the older sister I've never actually had in my own life."  
  
About five months before, Serena and Raye had discussed several things with each other, and while they did so, Serena had suggested that Raye was like a sister to her. In fact, she suggested that Raye was like the older sister that she'd never have in her own life. And since that time, Serena still hadn't suggested otherwise to Raye.  
  
"You still do that, Serena?"  
  
"Yes. And just like biological sisters may often do, we often disagree with each other, Raye. And we often disagree with a lot of other people in both our lives, of course."  
  
"Especially when one of us may not be doing the right thing at all in their life?"  
  
"Like me running in the halls like I did earlier?"  
  
"Exactly, Serena."  
  
"I suppose I could have slowed down at least a little bit, Raye, when I got near your chambers in this palace."  
  
"But you didn't, and you might have run us over if B.B. and I hadn't been fortunate enough to duck back in here before you collided with us."  
  
"I suppose I might have, Raye. But it really wouldn't have been intentional on my part, if I'd actually done so. I hope you realize that."  
  
"Now I do, I suppose, Serena."  
  
"Do you still consider me to be a Meatball Head right now?"  
  
"I'm not so mad at you now, Serena, as I was then. But I still have to say that might have been an MBH kind of thing to do, at least on your part, Serena."  
  
"Perhaps. I'm sorry if I made you so mad, Raye. It was never actually my intention to do so,  
by running in the halls near your chambers here in the Imperial Palace. I was just trying to get to the main ballroom rather quickly, for I felt that I was running rather late, instead of running right on time, for the start of the ball."  
  
"I forgive you, I suppose, Serena. But, please, if you can, do try to be more careful when you're near other people's chambers in all our palaces here on the Moon, Serena. It'd not do for any of us to get hurt needlessly, if it can possibly be avoided at all, would it?"  
  
"No. If we did, we might lose training time with each other, I suppose, Raye."  
  
"Right. And if we're going to have even the slightest chance of surviving at least long enough for your mother to try to save us all, then we might need all the training time that we can possibly get as Sailor Scouts. Sure, we may not actually be able to beat the Negaverse when they come here. But we still have to try to hold them off long enough to allow your mother to try to save us all, if she possibly can, no matter what the cost to us and to our dear Moon Kingdom."  
  
"Agreed, Raye. Now, if I'm not mistaken, there is a ball we were going to go to, Raye. I suggest we make all possible haste to get to it before it's due to start anytime very soon."  
  
"All right, Serena. I suppose we can do that now, but let's not run as we do it, if we can possibly avoid it."  
  
"Understood, Raye. And you won't hold this little episode of mine against me?"  
  
"I'll try not to, Serena, but don't be surprised if I can't manage to not hold it against you at all. I wish that you'd not be so impulsive most, if not all, the time in your life, though. It might cause you to find more trouble than you'll ever want to have in it, whether it's anywhere here in the Moon Kingdom, or whether it's elsewhere in this Universe of ours. Trouble that you'd likely best avoid, if at all possible, Serena, in your own life. No matter where you go, and no matter what you do, in it, you'd likely best avoid trouble like that, if at all possible, Serena."  
  
"Okay, Raye. I see your point, then, Raye. Now is there anything else you want to discuss with me before we go to the ball together?"  
  
"No, I suppose not. So I suppose we can go now to the main ballroom, so that we don't miss all the fun, in a manner of speaking, Serena."  
  
Then Serena and Raye soon left Raye's chambers, and they went as safely, yet as quickly, as they could to the necessary main ballroom for that same ball that they were wanting to go to. And they discussed a few more things with each other as they did so. Nothing of major importance, to either of them, but they still discussed at least a few things as they went to the Imperial Palace's main ballroom, of course.  
  
After Serena and Raye showed up there, the ball soon began, and it then lasted at least until about two or three hours past local midnight. It finally ended about two or three hours past local midnight when Serena finally left the main ballroom with Amy, Bethany, Destiny, Lita, Mina, Raye, and Sylvia. Brief bits of conversation were shared among all of the Princesses before they each arrived at their chambers in the Imperial Palace. First they went to Amy's chambers, then to Raye's, Lita's, Mina's, Destiny's, and Bethany's, chambers in that order. After dropping Bethany off at her chambers, Serena and Sylvia were alone again.  
  
As they headed off toward Sylvia's chambers, Serena and Sylvia continued chatting with each other for at least a bit longer. Of course, Rolando and Darien were often mentioned by them in the conversation that they were still sharing with each other.  
  
Sylvia asked, "Serena, if and when Rolando and I return to Earth with my siblings, will you miss us all?"  
  
"Yes, of course I will. But if you go back to Earth, how are you going to see Rolando again?"  
  
"I don't know yet. I don't think that I could teleport to his primary place of residence, and I don't think he could teleport to my primary place of residence. If we go back, I don't think that we'll be there long, before we come here again in some manner. And I think that when we go back, Darien might come back to Earth with us. Which, of course, would mean that he'd not be on the Moon with all of you at all."  
  
"And I hate being away from him, if I don't have to be, Sylvia."  
  
"Well, I suspect that he'll have to make sure that some supplies for the future get to at least one place on Earth, if not more, just in case you and others have to be transferred to Earth later on."  
  
"You mean, of course, when the Negaverse likely forces Mom to sacrifice our Moon Kingdom to ensure futures for as many of us as possible, I believe."  
  
"Yes. And just in case people back on Earth are working somehow against your joint project with his Terran nation, he has to make sure that enough things are potentially available to people working on that joint project during the necessary related construction operations for it."  
  
"So if certain things aren't available for various things, for any reason whatsoever, other things can possibly be used in their place, whether those things are the same kinds of things that aren't available or they're not."  
  
"Correct." Then the two of them talked only a bit longer, until they arrived at Sylvia's Imperial Palace chambers. They then soon parted, and Sylvia went into her own chambers, and retired for the rest of the night. When Serena realized that Sylvia wouldn't likely exit her chambers again, if she didn't have to, before at least a few more hours had passed for everyone, she then returned to her own chambers, and retired about ten to fifteen minutes after she did so. And then she slept in until at least local noon, if not longer. For she'd actually been more tired than she'd originally thought, once she'd retired in her chambers some time before.  
  
There are two more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 24, Serena will have an unexpected vision in which she'll see four strange Terran girls in it. And those girls will have a discussion with her about the future, and what it might entail for her and others close enough to her in her life. This discussion will take place in Serena's chambers, on Christmas Day 986. What she and the other girls will say when they have that discussion there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as needed on , in fact. Rest assured, though, people, that this vision of Serena's will hint at the Sailor Scouts' next adventure. Or at least the next adventure of those Scouts who are close enough to each other in Serena's life, that is. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections in it, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,  
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though,however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	24. Chapter 24

In the last chapter, Serena and Raye had a rather private discussion with each other about some very important things and people. And they had this discussion of theirs in Raye's Imperial Palace chambers. They had it before going to a ball in that palace's main ballroom, and they conversed with each other at considerable length during it, in fact.  
  
There is only one more chapter to put up for this story after this one and the next one. For this next chapter might be what you'd call Chapter 24, if you consider each section that I've put up for this story to be chapters of some sort. And if so, then the next chapter which will follow here is to be Chapter 24. This story is 26 chapter-like sections long, readers. So after this next chapter, there will only be two more such sections to put up to complete this story here. In this chapter, Serena will have some unexpected visitors, when she has an unexpected vision, in her Imperial Palace chambers. And she'll have this vision of hers on Christmas Day 986, as well.  
  
Now, without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here,  
if that's all right with you all here, readers. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers!  
  
First Kisses?  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Inside Serena's Chambers In The Imperial Palace  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
December 25, 986  
  
Some length of time after she then woke up again in her Imperial Palace chambers on Christmas Day about local noon, at the very earliest, Serena then experienced a vision in them. And in this vision, she saw four girls that she'd not yet met in her life. She didn't know them yet, of course,  
but that'd not always be the case, if she ever met them.  
  
Little did she know that she and a number of other people would be meeting them before another few weeks or months more passed for them in each of their lives. She and those she'd be meeting them with would likely find themselves in a place they'd all least expect to be in their lives,  
for all the obvious reasons, of course.  
  
And little did she know that she and her current companions would be meeting them in a place none of them had likely ever been in before, not even those who were actually from Terra, if that place was itself also on Terra. Of course, if that happened, then they'd have to do whatever they possibly could to make sure that they all eventually returned to the Moon Kingdom again, at least once more in each of their lives, if they somehow all survived long enough for them all to do that.  
  
Serena was alone when she began experiencing this vision, and she was sitting in her bed as she did so. She'd just woken up about ten or so minutes before, and she'd been sitting in her bed,  
reading one of her nearby scrolls there. Her attention was diverted from her scroll by a series of loud cymbal-like crashes out of thin air. She looked around her chambers for a few seconds, after hearing those sounds out of the air, and as she did so, the vision began appearing on a wall near the door of her chambers. Four girls about her age, if not a little older, then began appearing on that wall, after which they soon stepped away from it, and began walking toward her, as soon as they realized that they were visible enough to her.  
  
Little did she know that she'd be meeting them at least once before the likely end of the Moon Kingdom, if not more. They all then stopped about five feet away from her, after leaving the area of that far wall in her chambers. They stood near the foot of her bed, and then one of them said, "Moon Princess Serena, expect the unexpected. We're from a land you know not of on Earth. We'll have a common enemy, I believe, and we'll be fighting them at least once together before four or five more of our years pass for us all in our lives. We're Princesses Zardiz Buzmura, Mara Zimak, Yazmis Takya, and Ginkya Rillis. I myself am Princess Mara Zimak, and we're all cousins to each other."  
  
Serena then asked the girl who'd just spoken to her, "Princess Mara, how do you know of me?"  
  
"The One True God of the Universe told us all of you. We have heard only the basic information about you and several other people in your life, I believe, Moon Princess Serena. We may actually meet somewhere on Earth, or we may not meet on Earth, but we'll all actually meet you, and anyone else you're currently with, when you meet up with us. I am Princess Mara Zimak, and I am the oldest of us four girls who are now visiting you in your chambers on the grounds of one of your Moon Kingdom's many palaces on the Moon. The short and stocky blonde girl next to me is Princess Yazmis Takya, and she's the oldest daughter of the third daughter of Emperor Isumelico and Empress Prakelena, who are our nation's current rulers. The brown-haired one is Princess Ginkya Rillis, and she's the youngest daughter of the second son of our nation's current rulers. Princess Zardiz Buzmura is the black-haired third daughter of the eighth son of them. Which leaves me, Princess Mara Zimak, the auburn-haired oldest daughter of my own parents, who are Crown Prince Ritolepano and Crown Princess Voriskana, the people due to lead our nation if something happens to our current Emperor and his Empress. My parents are next in line to lead our nation, for my father is the oldest child of the Emperor and Empress, of course."  
  
"What does all this have to do with me and those I might be with, if and when we ever meet,  
Princess Mara?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure, Moon Princess Serena, but I do suspect that we'll all someday be fighting side by side with each other at least once in our lives. I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that we'll all eventually meet up with each other, and fight alongside each other against some common enemy of ours, whoever they may be."  
  
"Do you know of Prince Darien?"  
  
"Yes. We also know of your sisters Destiny and Bethany, as well as of your parents, and of Amy, Mina, Raye, Lita, Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, Susan, and Sylvia, at the very least. We also know of Rolando, in fact, Serena. There may be others we don't yet know of that we might meet up with later. But we do know of at least twelve Princesses, three Princes, and one Queen that we might meet up with later, if things work out to make such a meeting possible."  
  
"And what do you think of this possibility, Princess Mara?"  
  
"If it happens, then so be it. If not, then that's the way the cookie crumbles, I guess."  
  
"Can I tell others about this vision in which I've seen you?"  
  
"Only the people we know of, if you do. And if you do, then you must make them promise not to tell anyone else about it. For if you do, our future common enemy might hear about it somehow. I fear that you have several of their spies scattered all around your Moon Kingdom, and that they're trying to gain all the possible intelligence about it and you all in it, that they possibly can,  
so that their people's invasion of your Moon Kingdom goes better for them than you'd naturally like it to go for them."  
  
"The Negaverse?"  
  
"Yes, we seem to hear that name often in a number of our recent dreams and visions, Moon Princess Serena," said Princess Ginkya.  
  
"How are you girls able to appear to me, and talk to me now, then?"  
  
"We are in the Crystal Chambers of the Imperial Palace in Cuzco, in a Terran nation you might call 'Peru' in about a thousand years, I think. We are in a chamber at least as large as your own chambers in the Imperial Palace of Moon City on the Moon, if not larger. Around us are a series of mirrors with various crystals on or near them, Moon Princess Serena. We all are actually, it seems, in two places at once. Are we totally solid there?" asked Ginkya.  
  
Serena got out of her bed, and then she walked to where Mara was standing in her chambers,  
just before she touched Mara's arm. Mara said, "Go ahead and touch my arm, Serena. It's all right. That way, you can know if we're making this stuff up, and if you're still dreaming in your chambers." So Serena then touched Mara's nearest arm, and she felt that it was about eighty or so percent solid, before she answered Mara's question.  
  
Serena said, "No, you're not. You're mostly solid, but not entirely."  
  
"If I'm not, then the others aren't likely completely solid either. Go ahead and touch them too just like you did me."  
  
So Serena did so, and with the other three Princesses, she had basically the same results of her touching them. She told Mara so. Mara said, "We're not totally solid here either, Serena. We can currently see through each other. But anyone else who might see us in these chambers while we're in them will see and feel us as totally solid people. We're currently in these chambers back on Earth, and we must be projecting ourselves at least partly into your chambers. I hope you don't mind the intrusion into them by us."  
  
"I normally don't like having my chambers invaded at all, girls."  
  
"I understand fully. But for some reason, we got a message from God to appear in a vision to you in your chambers. Once this vision ends, you won't likely see us again until we actually meet in physical reality for the first time, I believe. I don't know if we'll all eventually see each other at least once on the Moon, but we might, of course, Serena, for all the obvious reasons. I wish we didn't have to come into your chambers like we did, but we had to, for God told us to," said Mara.  
  
"All right. If God told you to, then I can let it slide, at least this time. But if you don't have to invade them in the future, please consider not doing so in it, girls."  
  
Zardiz Buzmura said, "We'll try to keep that in mind, Serena," after she consulted briefly with her fellow Terran Princesses. Then she turned to Serena, and said, "Princess Yazmis Takya wants to ask you a question, Serena, if that's all right with you."  
  
"Go ahead, Princess Yazmis Takya."  
  
"Are you currently dating anyone?"  
  
"Not at the moment, and I doubt that I will for at least a few more years, Yazmis, but if you're asking if Darien is spoken for, then I think I have to say, 'Sort of, but not entirely, at least not currently on an official basis. For we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend to each other in the future, if we're not already. And we'll have such a relationship at least once, if not more than that, in the future. God willing, of course. We may even marry each other, and have a family together, in the future, at least once in our lives.' Don't get me wrong, Yazmis, you might be a nice girl and everything, but I really care very deeply for Darien in my life, and I don't want to ultimately lose him to another girl, of course. I won't say you can't chase him, if you ever meet him, at least as long as we're not married to each other, but I probably won't like it if you do that at all."  
  
"You mean like when Raye might chase him too?"  
  
"You know about that, Yazmis?"  
  
"All four of us do, Serena."  
  
"Part of your learning about me and others before you came here in a vision to me in my chambers?"  
  
"Yes, Serena. We know at least that and a few other things about you and several other people in your life. Granted, we don't know everything about you all, at least not yet, if we ever will, but we do know those things about you and several other people in your life."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Mara answered, "Like your mother is expecting multiple babies, for instance. They'll all arrive healthy, I believe, Serena. And they won't be entirely like either Destiny or Bethany, if they're girls. I believe that you'll have at least two or three more sisters, Serena, within the next three to six months, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know exactly when, but I think that you'll do so."  
  
"I'd not be surprised if that turns out to be the case, Mara."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I discussed that very possibility with my mother a few days or so ago, Mara."  
  
"I see." Then Mara and her fellow Terrans who were currently visiting Serena in her chambers conversed with her only for a little while longer, before Mara eventually said, "Serena, we'll need to leave you now, for we have other things to do at the current time. It's getting near morning here, if it's not already that time, or later than that time. And we have other things we either want to, or need to, do today before nightfall comes here to our part of Earth. Remember, you're not to discuss this vision with anyone else in your life that we don't know of. And if you discuss it with anyone at all, you're only to discuss it with the people we've said that you can, if at all possible. And anyone who you discuss it with is not to mention it to anyone else that we've not yet mentioned to you here in your chambers. If any of you do so, the Negaverse, if that's who our common enemy will be, might somehow be able to cause a whole lot of trouble for your own Moon Kingdom's people and for those of us who are actually from Earth. Even Darien, of course."  
  
"So, if I don't want them to get after us so much, if it can possibly be avoided at all, I'm not to discuss this visit of yours with anyone else who you don't already know of? Especially for Darien's sake, at least?"  
  
"Correct. The same thing is true, of course, for anyone else that you talk to about this visit of ours that we know of already. Even for Darien, who you've already said that you really care for in your life to us."  
  
"Understood," Serena finally said. After she said that, then her visitors began turning away from her, so that they could return to the wall on which they'd earlier appeared in her chambers. Before they could get all the way there, she asked them, "How'll I know you when I see you again, if I ever do see you again, as you're all thinking that I, at least, will someday do, Mara?"  
  
"Look for girls with face paint and feathers in their hair, as well as mostly golden snakeskin armbands on our left arms. If you see four girls that look like us, and you see those things, then you should be able to recognize us, I think. Agates will be hanging from those armbands, and if you see them, then you should be able to see us from about twenty or so feet away from you and anyone else you're with when you see us next."  
  
"What color will the feathers be, Mara?"  
  
"Most of them will be bright red, cobalt blue, or light green, with a few black or silver feathers mixed in with them as needed, so that you'd be able to see them easily enough, Serena."  
  
"Understood, Mara."  
  
"And if we see you with anyone, and you're not having to fight them, when we meet, then we're to expect that they're your companions?"  
  
"Yes, Mara."  
  
"Very well. We know at least a bit about what the people we already know of look like, if not entirely. And you expect to be in your normal Moon Kingdom or Earth states of being?"  
  
"Yes, but how do you know about us having other states of being?"  
  
Mara said, "God told us, just in case the need would arise for you to be with us when you weren't in your normal Moon Kingdom or Earth states of being. We know that several, if not all, of you are Sailor Scouts. But we don't know what your actual identities are as the same, if any or all of you have any such states of being at all."  
  
Then Ginkya said, "Mara, we have to go now, or we'll be late for our next commitment, I think."  
  
"Serena, we know you'll likely have at least a few more questions for us all. But any answers we might have for those questions of yours are going to have to wait to be voiced by us for at least a little while, for all the obvious reasons, of course. I don't like it any more than you might. And I'm sure that my three fellow Princesses feel the same way. But that's just the way things will have to be for at least a little while, I think. Or at least until we all can actually meet with each other in a physical sense, at least, and not just in this manner. May God bless you and all of your people rather well, at least until we ever meet, if we ever do, in each of our respective lives in His very own Universe." Then each of the girls touched the wall seconds later. And moments later, they had all disappeared from it, after they'd walked into the wall in question, of course. Several loud cymbal-like crashes rather effectively punctuated their rather quick departure from her cabin to end the vision she'd just experienced in her own chambers.  
  
After the vision ended, and her visitors had left her alone again, in her chambers, she then sat in her bed for at least the next few minutes. She sat there just trying to make at least some reasonable sense of her just-ended vision, if not longer than that. Eventually, she then got out of her bed, and went to her bathroom, where she then got herself a little water to drink. That done, she then went to her bedside table and picked up her locket.  
  
She thought for a moment, then she suddenly decided to transform into her Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Moon. After doing that, she then signaled several other people with her locket, by tapping it in a certain pattern. She told them to meet her in their Sailor Scout states, where applicable, in the Hebron Garden of the Imperial Palace within the next half hour or so, if at all possible. Destiny, Bethany, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Sylvia, and Serenity then acknowledged receiving such a message from her by tapping their lockets again in the same pattern as she'd summoned them with, after having tapped them so that they could receive that message from her in the first place, of course. They only tapped those lockets of theirs, though, whenever they were far enough away from certain other people who didn't yet know that they were secretly also Sailor Scouts,  
of course.  
  
After her mother Queen Serenity then tapped off her locket, Moon then tapped her locket again to close the communications channels that she'd used just moments before. That done, she then soon left her chambers, after checking her own appearance at least once more in one of her mirrors. And she, for once, didn't waste any time in getting to the necessary garden elsewhere on the Imperial Palace's grounds in Moon City.  
  
There is one more chapter to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 25, Serena will discuss the vision that she had in Chapter 24 with several other Scouts. Including her mother, in fact. This discussion of the vision will take place in the Imperial Palace's Hebron Garden, as well. And there will also be a Christmas Day/Night party and ball, of course, for all the obvious reasons, here. What she and the other Scouts will say when they have that discussion there, though, you'll all just have to wait and see, until that chapter gets put up as needed on , in fact. Rest assured, though, people, that this vision of Serena's that she'll discuss as needed will still hint at the Sailor Scouts' next adventure. Or at least the next adventure of those Scouts who are close enough to each other in Serena's life, that is. This particular story here will have a total of 26 chapter-like sections in it, readers.  
  
I will brief you all more, as this story's end comes even closer, as needed, in fact. But the rest of this story and its related series will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same, readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, however. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	25. Chapter 25

In the last chapter, Serena had another unexpected vision, as she was in her Imperial Palace chambers. In this vision, she saw and conversed with four girls about her age. They came to her in the vision, and conversed with her about various things that'd likely happen for her and others in the future. They conversed with her for at least a while, before her unexpected visitors in the vision left her alone again in her Imperial Palace chambers. And now Serena was even more worried about the future for her and others, even if she wasn't apparently showing it at the current time, in fact.  
  
There is only one more chapter to put up for this story after this one. For this next chapter might be what you'd call Chapter 25, if you consider each section that I've put up for this story to be chapters of some sort. And if so, then the next chapter which will follow here is to be Chapter 25. This story is 26 chapter-like sections long, readers. So after this next chapter, there will only be one more such section to put up to complete this story here. In this chapter, Serena will discuss her latest unexpected vision with several other Scouts, including her mother, in fact. And she'll do it sometime before a Christmas Day/Night party and/or ball, as well, readers.  
  
Now, without any further ado, let's get on with the next chapter of this story of mine here,  
if that's all right with you all here, readers. Please read, review, and enjoy, if at all possible, quite naturally enough, readers! Remember, there will only be one more chapter of this story after this one here. For the story is going to end with the next one after this one. And then it will lead into the next one, which will be called "A Rather Hostile Takeover," for your information, people. If I say any more here about these things, though, I might be running the risk of ruining the end of the story, until you finish this next chapter here, at the very least, I think. So let's get on with the story here now, if you all don't mind too much, of course!  
  
First Kisses?  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Hebron Garden In The Imperial Palace  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
December 25, 986 - December 26, 986  
  
By the time that she was met by several other Sailor Scouts in the Hebron Garden of the Imperial Palace, it was now about an hour or so past local noon, but not later than about two hours after local noon, in the area of Moon City on the Moon. She was sitting on a bench near the main fountain in that garden when they joined her there then. And she was facing toward that fountain, as she sat on that bench there.  
  
Mars was the first of the other Scouts she'd just communicated with to see her on that bench. As soon as she got close enough to where Moon was sitting on that bench in the garden, she asked, "All right, Moon, what's the story? Why haven't you shown up yet in the main ballroom, so that everyone can begin opening their gifts?"  
  
Moon said, "I had a vision in which four girls about my age appeared in my chambers and talked to me, in my chambers."  
  
Royal Sailor Serenity said, "Please describe this vision, Moon."  
  
So Moon described this vision that she'd just recently experienced as Serena in her own Imperial Palace chambers. And whenever she thought that one of her fellow Scouts was about to interrupt her describing of that vision with at least one question of their own, she said, "I'll answer all your questions when I finish telling you about my vision, and not before. So please save your questions until I'm done, so that you get my whole story down to the best of my ability to tell it." Reluctantly, of course, at least on the part of Mars and Skyhorse, the other Scouts remained quiet, so that she could finish telling her story. As she told it, though, Mercury was taking it down, for all the obvious reasons, to the best of her ability to do so.  
  
It took Moon at least twenty or so minutes to tell her story to the other Scouts who were present with her currently in the Hebron Garden of the Imperial Palace, but eventually she finished telling it to them. Then, as promised, she fielded several questions from them about it, and anything else that came to mind while they were doing so.  
  
Serenity finally said, "Then I suppose we better do what the Terran Princesses from some other place on Earth have suggested that we do, for the obvious reasons, girls. We can tell Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan about Serena's vision, as well as Princes Daniel, Darien, and Rolando, but nobody else, if we can possibly avoid it. But if we tell anyone else about it, besides those other seven people, it could mean more trouble for us much quicker than we'd like to have it here in the Moon Kingdom. I believe I can trust Serena to not mention it to anyone other than the proper people, at least this time, for I'm certain that she really doesn't want to see anything bad happen to Darien, if it can possibly be avoided at all."  
  
"Yes, that's right, Mom. I'm not going to blab it to anyone else who doesn't need to know about it, for once. For I don't want to see my honey get hurt by anyone else, if it can possibly be avoided at all. Sure, I may blab about a whole lot of things in my life, and Raye would probably call me a 'Meatball Head' for doing so, but this time, at least, I won't blab about my recent vision any more than I have to, if I can possibly avoid it at all."  
  
"You're right, Moon. I probably would call you that, if I were just Raye. But as we all know,  
I'm Junior Sailor Mars right now."  
  
"That's true, I guess, Mars, but deep down, you're still Raye Erica Hino, just as I am, deep down, still Serena Ruth Teresa Hope Rose Moon."  
  
Corona asked, "Moon, how are you going to make sure that you don't blab it to anyone else who doesn't need to know about your recent vision?"  
  
"I don't know, but I just know that I have to remain as quiet as possible about it, at least for Darien's sake, if not anyone else's as well. For if I blab needlessly, and something happens to him that somehow causes the future to change so much that he's not part of my life forever, and that he's never my husband and the father of Rini, at least, I may never forgive myself. I couldn't imagine never seeing him again in the future, if worst comes to worst for all of us here in the Moon Kingdom, or many of us, if not all of us."  
  
"You don't want to lose Darien forever?"  
  
"You've got it, Eclipse and Corona. If it can possibly be avoided at all, I don't ever want to lose him forever. He's my dream guy, no matter how many other cute guys I may ever chase before I marry him sometime in the future."  
  
"What would you do to be with him?"  
  
"Almost anything, if not anything at all, Mars. I'd probably even die for him if I had to, and if I could, in order to save him, if at all possible, somehow."  
  
"And do you think that he'd do the same?"  
  
"I'd hope so, but I'm not yet sure if he'd do that, Mercury, if I'll ever be."  
  
Moon then walked over to a nearby rosebush in the garden, and plucked a rose from it, as carefully as she could, using a nearby snipper of sorts to do that. She soon held the rose up to her face for a few seconds, and then as soon as she'd smelled it enough here, she said, "My feelings for him are at least as strong as this rose's cinnamon and chocolate smells are, if not stronger. This is a Belinda Cromeke variety of rose that is usually found near the Moon's North Pole, and which often grows in places near the pole where the ice pack is thinnest, or non-existent. This rosebush's ancestors, as a matter of fact, came from an underground cave in one of those places. Using genes from both of its parents, a seed was eventually produced. This seed was then carried by an underground stream that brought it most of the way to Moon City. One of the former rulers of the Moon Kingdom then found that seed on a trip they'd taken to the place where they'd found that seed, and they then brought the seed here to be planted in this garden. And this seed then produced this rosebush. This rosebush has now been providing roses for at least half the Silver Millennium, if not even longer than that, in fact. And ever since its seed's planting, the smells of this rosebush's roses have often become stronger, instead of weaker. I think that when these roses' smells get the strongest that they possibly can get, the Negaverse will be about able to invade our Moon Kingdom, if they haven't already done so. The smells of this particular rose are very strong, but I think that they are not yet strong enough to warn us about the Negaverse's likely coming. I'll bring this rose to each of you. And you can all actually smell it, if you want to."  
  
Moon then did that here, and everyone now with her did smell the rose now in question here. Even her mother Serenity. Then Mars said, "You really do care for him that much, Moon?"  
  
"Yes, Mars, I do. I'll never give him up at all, if I can possibly avoid it, and if I don't have to,  
to anyone else. And I'd be with him if worst comes to worst for us here in our lives, at least once, if not more, if at all possible, Mars. Even if it means I'd die, I'd be with him, if at all possible."  
  
"You care for him even more than possibly succeeding me as the leader of our people, Moon?"  
asked Serenity.  
  
"Yes, Mother, I really do care for Prince Darien that much, at least right now. I think that I'd rather have him near me, than to be the leader of our people in the future, if I ever had to choose. At least at the current time, I do. Hopefully, I'll never have to choose one over the other, though."  
  
"Agreed. But if you do, then what?"  
  
"Then, Mom, I guess I'll have to cross that bridge if and when I ever face it in the future."  
  
Then Moon and all her current companions soon ended their discussion of Moon's recent vision as Serena, and they then went to the main ballroom of the Imperial Palace for at least the next few hours, if not longer. They spent at least three to four hours there, if not longer, during which time they all finally received all the gifts that had been put under or near a tree there for each and every single one of them.  
  
That done, they all soon returned to each of their respective chambers with their new gifts for at least a little while. And they didn't show up elsewhere on the grounds of the Imperial Palace while they did so. They only showed up when it was time for the next ball to begin in the main ballroom of the Imperial Palace, and not before then.  
  
The following ball lasted for several hours, at least, until about two or so hours after local midnight. When they all got too tired to stay in the main ballroom of the Imperial Palace, they all eventually left it, if they'd not already done so by about two or so hours after local midnight. Serena was the last one of them to leave the main ballroom, and she left it with Prince Darien, who then walked her to her chambers in them, before she got too tired to do that herself. He escorted her to them, and as soon as he saw that she was safely in them, he left her alone again. He then slipped out of her chambers rather silently, as soon as he was sure that nobody else would see or hear him leave them. He then silently went to his own chambers, and he retired for the rest of the local night.  
  
There are to be no more chapters to this story after the next one. In the next chapter, or what might pass for Chapter 26, Serena will have to say goodbye for at least the time being to several of her Terran friends, if not all of them. If not for good, that is. She won't want to, in fact, but circumstances which will be sufficiently beyond her control well enough will force her to do so. And she will wish they didn't have to go away again, for at least a little while, obviously. But they will have to do so, in order to hopefully help her and her people survive much easier when the end of the Moon Kingdom comes to pass, in fact.  
  
The next chapter will lead into the next story, which will be the fourth volume of the series,  
people. For it will be the last chapter of First Kisses? here, in actual reality. A Rather Hostile Takeover will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same, readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, people. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out! 


	26. Chapter 26

This will be the last chapter of First Kisses?, people, for your information. In the last chapter, Chapter 25, Serena had a discussion with several other Scouts. And they had this discussion of theirs with each other in the Imperial Palace's Hebron Garden, prior to a Christmas Day/Night party and/or ball. This vision hinted, at least, at the next adventure for Serena and several other people who were close enough to her in her life, in fact. Supposing that it didn't do more than that, of course.  
  
In this last chapter, Serena and several others will have to part for at least a while from their Terran friends. For their Terran friends will have other things that they then will have to do in each of their lives, obviously enough. Serena and others won't like it, naturally enough. But it will still have to be done, just the same, in fact. Especially if Serena and others will actually want to survive for a long enough time into the future, if at all possible, somehow, of course.  
  
Now, without any further ado, if we may, readers, let's get on with this last chapter for First Kisses? and see just how it closes out this story, and leads into the next one. Please feel free to read, review, and enjoy the rest of this story, if at all possible, and if at all desired, people. Remember, everyone, A Rather Hostile Takeover will be the next story in this particular story series of mine. I will give you at least a few hints about it, after I close out this particular story. And then you can go from there, if you wish or need to do so, in fact.  
  
First Kisses?  
A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story  
  
Moon City Spaceport  
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon  
January 10, 987  
  
About two or three weeks later, Darien felt that he needed to return to Earth again, so that he could check up on a few things there relating to his nation's current joint project with the Moon Kingdom. So he eventually told all the necessary people that. Even Serena, of course.  
  
Serena naturally pleaded with him not to leave the Moon again, for all the obvious reasons,  
of course. But she still realized that he needed to get back to the Earth for various reasons that were likely too numerous to mention. She said, during one of their brief meetings right after New Year's Day, "Prince Darien, I most certainly will miss you very much while you're away from me."  
  
"I'm sure you will, Serena. But do you want a possible future for us, if at all possible,  
Serena?"  
  
"Sure I do, Darien. I just wish you didn't have to be on Earth so often to better our chances at having that future with each other, if at all possible, Darien."  
  
"I know that, Serena. But what happens if the Negaverse destroys your Moon Kingdom? Won't you want to survive, and end up somewhere where you won't likely have to worry about them for at least a little while?"  
  
"I suppose so. But is that supposed to make me miss you any less?"  
  
"I guess not. You're going to miss me, no matter what, whenever we're apart, Serena. I've now come to understand that about you, after about ten or so years of knowing you in my life, more or less."  
  
"All right, Darien. If you feel you must go back to your world for a while, then so be it. But before you go, please let's take at least one more walk together here on the grounds of the Imperial Palace."  
  
"No kissing, perhaps?"  
  
"No kissing, Prince Darien. Or at least not, most likely, until I'm a teenager, I think. And that'll be in about thirty months or so, I think, Prince Darien, if my math's sufficiently correct."  
  
"So when you turn thirteen, maybe you'll want to kiss me at least once, Serena?"  
  
"At the very earliest, I believe."  
  
They talked a little longer during that very meeting, before they parted from each other again. Then Prince Darien began getting ready to return to Earth not more than a few hours later. And so did Rolando and Sylvia, for they'd also be returning again to Earth, of course. Naturally, Sylvia's three siblings would be going with them, of course. Even though, by then, Ulysses, Rebecca, and Martha would probably have preferred to stay on the Moon, for all the obvious reasons, instead of going back to where they all came from on Earth.  
  
The last few days before the four aforementioned Wakefields left the Moon with Rolando and Darien were often quite hectic for them all, of course. Especially for Sylvia, for she often enjoyed being on the Moon whenever possible. And she'd begun to develop a very close friendship with a number of the Moon Kingdom's Princesses. Even Serena, and she'd probably miss them very much whenever she wasn't with them, of course.  
  
Sylvia and several of the other Princesses then had one final slumber party with each other the night before Sylvia would have to return to Earth with Darien, Rolando, and her three siblings. This was so that they might have something to remember for a while, if they'd not actually see each other again for at least a little while, of course.  
  
They had that slumber party the night of January 9, 987, which was about three days after Hannah's last birthday, about four days before Beatrice's next birthday, and about a week before Aurora's next birthday. Not to mention about two weeks before Sylvia's next birthday on January 25, as a matter of fact. They didn't know if they'd all see each other again before Sylvia's birthday, at least, of course. But they knew that it'd not be likely that they'd be able to see each other again for a long enough time in the next week or two. So, not only did they decide to have a slumber party with each other, they all decided to celebrate the birthdays of Beatrice and Aurora at least a few days ahead of time. That was just in case Sylvia couldn't be around to help them celebrate Aurora and Beatrice's birthdays on their actual dates. They stayed up almost all night on the night of January 9, 987. And some of them stayed up even several hours more into the following morning of January 10, 987.  
  
Now, it was about an hour past local noon in the Moon City area of the Moon. And Darien and his fellow Terrans were getting their things put on the necessary shuttle between Moon City on the Moon and Kyoto, Japan, on Earth. As they were doing so, they all said their farewells to their friends from the Moon Kingdom. Even all three of Sylvia's siblings, of course. Sylvia said, "On behalf of me and my siblings, I'd like to thank you all for the hospitality you gave to each of us while we were here on the Moon with you. I hope that we can see each other at least once more in the next few weeks, months, or years. God willing, of course."  
  
"It was our pleasure, Sylvia. Feel free to visit us again any particular time that you get the chance to do so, if you want, and if at all possible, Sylvia. The same thing goes for your siblings, of course."  
  
"Maybe we'll take you up on that at least once more, Queen Serenity."  
  
"Prince Ulysses, did you enjoy yourself while you were with us?"  
  
"Sure, Queen Serenity. I especially liked the horses we were actually able to ride just before Christmas Day here on the Moon."  
  
"I suppose so. You ride well, it seems. Just as your older sister Sylvia seems to be able to do quite often."  
  
"Well, thank you for making it possible for us to stay with you and your people for a while here on the Moon."  
  
"No problem, Prince Ulysses."  
  
Rebecca then said, "Thank you for the nice dress you gave to me, Queen Serenity and Moon Princess Serena."  
  
"It was our pleasure, Princess Rebecca," said Serena, when her mother nodded to her to respond to Rebecca's just-made comment. "I hope that you can wear it rather often in the future, if at all possible. When you wear it, please try to think of us all here on the Moon, if you possibly can."  
  
"Understood, Moon Princess Serena. I'll try to do that whenever I can in the future."  
  
Then Martha said, "Thank you, Princesses Raye, Amy, Lita, and Mina, for writing up a story for me to read from several scrolls, whenever possible, in the future. I've not yet begun to read it. But I really do hope that I'll enjoy reading it, in the future, whenever I can read at least a little bit of it then."  
  
"No problem, Princess Martha," said all four of those Princesses, of course, before Amy added, "There may even be some more surprise gifts for you Terrans now on your shuttle, which you might receive later, once you all return to your respective homes. I won't say what they are, if there are any such surprise gifts for you now on your shuttle. But if there are, I hope that you'll all enjoy them, and I think the rest of us Moon Kingdom royals who are now seeing you off from here feel much the same way, if not entirely, Princess Martha."  
  
"Girls, if you do have some more surprise gifts for us on our shuttle, did you really have to put them on it?" asked Princess Sylvia.  
  
"If so, yes, Sylvia, for we now consider all six of you Terrans our friends," answered Serena.  
  
"I see." Sylvia then caught a wave from Darien out of the corner of her left eye. He was motioning to her that she should now send her siblings over to the shuttle in question, so that her three siblings could get settled down enough in it before it'd leave the Moon City Spaceport. Sylvia then said, "Uly, Becca, and Martha, go to the shuttle. I'll be with you shortly. Tell Darien to come back here for a moment. And then have Rolando bring you into the shuttle. Don't look back, please, when you go to the shuttle. For if you do, at least one of you might start to cry. And that might make you feel rather embarrassed. I know that you three really don't want that to happen to you here. So please do as I'm telling you to do now, without any argument from any of you. I'm really not in the mood right now to argue with any of you kids, in fact. So please don't try me here right now."  
  
So Ulysses, Rebecca, and Martha did exactly as their older sister told them to do, without any argument from them about it. Darien appeared at Sylvia's side a few moments later. Then Sylvia said, "Queen Serenity, I'd like you to take everyone but Serena back into the spaceport's terminal, so that Darien and I can have a few moments alone with Serena, before we go again."  
  
Serenity said, "Sure, Sylvia. Come on, Daniel, and girls, so that Darien and Sylvia can be alone with Serena for a few moments more."  
  
Several of the other Princesses were about to object. But when they saw a certain look in Queen Serenity's eyes that let them know that she'd not stand for them to disobey her at the current time, they all fortunately thought better of it. And they all followed her, Prince Daniel, and the rest of the Princesses besides Serena back to the spaceport's terminal. This, of course, was for the obvious reasons. Serena and her two Terran friends watched them go, until they were all sufficiently enough out of sight here. And then Serena said, "Prince Darien, I will miss you most of all you Terrans. Please try to be back here as soon as you can. Or at least try to send me message canisters as often as you possibly can."  
  
"Understood. I'll see what I can do to get back to you again in the very near future, Serena. But I really can't make any promises on how soon I might be able to do that again for a long enough period of time. I'll certainly try to stay in regular enough touch with you, though. You can be sure that I'll at least try to do that, Serena."  
  
"Thank you, honey."  
  
"Is there anything else you want from me, before I go, then, Serena?"  
  
"Hold me for a moment, and give me a hug, at least. That is, of course, if Sylvia won't mind you doing that at all."  
  
"No, I don't mind if he does that for you, Serena."  
  
"All right, Serena. Are you sure you don't want anything more than that right now?"  
  
"Yes, sweetheart, I am. Please do it, before I change my mind about it, though, Darien."  
  
So Darien opened his arms, and Serena literally flew into them, as the tears then began pouring out of her eyes, and down her cheeks. As they poured down her cheeks, he held her close to him. But not too close, of course. He did this at least until she somehow managed to cry herself out about five minutes after she'd flown into his arms, if not longer.  
  
When she stopped crying, he then asked, "Are you done now with crying, Serena Moon?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose so. One of these days, we'll never be apart again, if at all possible. And then we'll never have to cry again, if we don't ever want to again, I hope."  
  
"Just not here in this time period?"  
  
"I think so, Darien. Maybe in about two millennia, that'll not be the case. But for now, at least, it is."  
  
"You mean no earlier than the 30th Century, don't you, Serena?"  
  
"Yes, I do, Darien. I don't like it, of course. But it still is the case, no matter how much I might hate it. So I suppose that I have to deal with it to the best of my ability to do so, whenever I possibly can do just that in my life."  
  
"Understood. Now may I get on the shuttle, Serena?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose. Go with God, then, my dearest honey."  
  
"If at all possible, I'll do exactly that, Serena."  
  
Then Darien left Serena behind with Sylvia again. And he didn't look back as he hurried to the shuttle in question, just as a loud siren sounded near it. That siren then told Serena and Sylvia that Sylvia had only about five more minutes to get on board it, and settled well enough in her seat, before the shuttle would then begin leaving the spaceport behind.  
  
Serena and Sylvia looked at each other for a few more seconds of that precious time before departure. And then Sylvia said, "Serena, I'll be thinking of you quite often while we're again apart from each other, I'm sure. I hope that you'll do the same, if at all possible for you, Serena."  
  
"Sure I will, Sylvia. I also wish that you didn't really have to leave, of course."  
  
"Well, if Darien's needed on Earth again, I suppose that I, my dear siblings, and Rolando, at least, are also needed on it again. Don't worry, Serena. For I don't really know just how come I'm sure here, and I don't really know when it'll happen again, that we'll somehow see each other again in the future, at least once more, before the likely end of the Moon Kingdom. God willing, of course."  
  
"Be very careful with yourself, then, Sylvia, if at all possible. Please try not to reveal, to anyone else who doesn't already know of it, your current secret identity as the Junior Sailor Scout named 'Junior Sailor Skyhorse', at least as long as we're not all together again with each other,  
Sylvia."  
  
"I'll do my best not to do that, Serena. But it may be hard for me to keep Uly, Becca, and Martha, at least, from learning about it at all. For I'm rather close to my three siblings in my life, if not also to my parents. And they're all rather close to me, of course."  
  
"Understood. I suppose you better leave now, then, Sylvia. Or you'll be stranded here for a while longer. Even though you'd probably rather go home for at least a little while, if at all possible."  
  
"Agreed. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David then watch over all of you while we're again apart. And may He somehow bring us all together again with each other sometime in the very near future."  
  
"Thank you, Sylvia. Now you better get on your shuttle before it's too late to do so."  
  
Sylvia briefly embraced Serena for a few seconds. And then Sylvia hurried, as well, to the shuttle without looking back even once. About two minutes before the shuttle would begin leaving the spaceport, Sylvia boarded it, turned briefly toward where Serena was waving at her, and waved back for a few seconds more, at most. With that done here, she then hurried to her seat in it. And she was securely enough into it before the shuttle began its needed departure procedures to leave the spaceport, if it hadn't already begun to do so.  
  
Ten minutes later, at most, the shuttle was out of Serena's sight, and heading on course as quickly as it could for Earth. Serena stayed where she'd waved at Sylvia for at least a few moments after it was too far away from her to see it easily enough. And she said a silent prayer that all the people now aboard that shuttle would get to each of their respective destinations on Earth safely enough, wherever each of those destinations might be on Earth's planetary surface.  
  
After doing so, Serena then eventually went back to the spaceport's terminal. And she rejoined the rest of her fellow Moon Kingdom royals in it. After doing that, she soon left the spaceport with her current companions for the Imperial Palace.  
  
Eventually, things did get back to normal as much as they possibly could, at least for a while. And they stayed that way for at least a few days, if not weeks, on the Moon for all the Moon Kingdom royals now there with Serena and her crowd of people. They'd stay that way at least until Serena and her crowd would find another adventure of any sort had just come their way, of course. No matter where that particular adventure might actually ever take them all in God's very own Universe.  
  
And as they lived their lives again as normally as possible, while waiting for another adventure to somehow come their ways again in that Universe, they all tried to enjoy themselves at least a little bit. Even Serena, although she was naturally missing her Terran friends Darien, Sylvia,  
and Rolando, at least, if not other Terrans as well. Serena would often look for the Earth in the skies, whenever she possibly could. But she wasn't always able to find it whenever the weather didn't permit her to get even a glimpse of it. Like whenever a major storm came through the Moon City area of the Moon, for instance. However, she was usually able to see it several times a week, on the average, while she and her crowd waited for their next adventure to come their way.  
  
Much of her free time was often spent with her sisters, and with Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita,  
at least, if not other people in her life, of course. But not all of it, for all the obvious reasons. And she often hoped for a quick return to the Moon by Prince Darien, at least, if not also Prince Rolando and Princess Sylvia. Even though she knew that might not be possible for them for at least a while, she still often hoped that it'd be possible for Darien, at least, if not also other Terran friends of hers, to somehow return to the Moon for at least a few days or weeks, if not longer. And this would be the case, at least until she saw him, if not other Terrans besides him, at least once again in her life. In the meantime, she tried to the best of her ability to remain rather calm around other people in her life. But, of course, she wasn't always successful, especially around Raye, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
End of Story Three  
  
A Rather Hostile Takeover will be the next volume of this particular series of mine here. To date, the completed and uploaded volumes for this series are "The Beginning Of It All," "Meeting The Menace," and "First Kisses?", with at least three more completed volumes, if not more than that, still to be put up here, eventually, on That's only if, and when, time permits me to upload them all completely, quite obviously. To this point, at least, the currently-known Sailor Scouts have all generally been rather successful in battle against their assorted enemies from the Negaverse. But the tide of battle will start to change quite soon and begin to cause them and others sufficiently close to them quite a bit more trouble than they have yet faced in their lives as Scouts. And they will begin to see many things that they will wish that they had never seen, if they haven't already begun to do so in actual physical reality. The Negaverse will start to turn the tide of battle toward themselves in the Scouts' next adventure. How so, I can't yet say, for the obvious reasons. Rest assured, though, people, it most certainly won't bode well for the Scouts and those close enough to them in each of their lives, in fact. And when that happens, the Scouts will eventually find that they won't be able to totally stop what will eventually happen. Short of the probable total sacrifice by Queen Serenity, of course.  
  
A Rather Hostile Takeover will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,  
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, people. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!  
  



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